The Fading Whispers
by CharlotteValentine
Summary: NozoEli fan fiction. An AU where Nozomi is a Ghost buster and Eli is that kind of person who often gets into trouble because apparently, she attract ghost. Rated M because clearly, I'll do something lewd for NozoEli.
1. Ch1 : Remember Me

**So, this is the next NozoEli.**

 **It's October and it's nice that option B (An AU where NozoEli is a ghost buster and Eli is that kind of person who often gets into trouble because apparently, she attract Ghost) won the vote in tumblr. It kinda fits with the incoming Halloween. I was about to do the usual "ghost buster" thingy, but I think i should mixed it up instead.**

 **Then, once again, i'll be working with Crimson to do this fan fiction. She will do editing like always.**

* * *

Early morning, The Otonokizaka High School;

The day is bright outside and yet a murky cloud gloomed the entire hallway. Toujou Nozomi, a girl who was born with her supernatural ability walks through the school front doors with brave steps,

 _This_ _…._

She said in her mind,

 _This is where I belong!_

She continued.

 _I—_ _Toujou Nozomi! Will exorcise_ _all evil spirits starting from this school!_

She continues while striding towards the ladder,

 _Nothing will stop me_ _!_

She said again in her mind as she lashes her beautiful hair into the air.

"Ouch!" said a voice from behind.

Nozomi quickly turns her sight to the girl who happened to be walking behind her,

A beautiful blonde— touching her own eyes…

"Watch it! Your hair whipped my eyes…" she said.

Nozomi was dumfounded as she realizes how the blonde made her heart beat rapidly, but it doesn't last long when she catches herself and realizes that she needs to respond to the blonde.

"S-Sorry…." Nozomi said apologetically before she bows gently toward the foreign beauty, who left with her hand still touching her own eyes.

 _That was unexpected_ _—_ _but I believe_ _…_ _she was fated to have that kind of a_ _morning…._

She said in her own mind— her eyes are full of fire.

 _Now…_ _where was I before_ _….?_

* * *

Morning, the first year Classroom in Otonokizaka;

 _This_ _…_ _this kind of spirit_ _…._

Nozomi said as her eyes focused on an empty chair, right in front of her.

… _is a spirit of coldness occupying this seat! Anyone who sits here will certainly turn as cold as an ice block! No wonder no one picks this seat!_

She squint her eyes,

 _Once this class is over, I will make this spirit ascend to the heavens_ _!_

She said in her own mind as she clenched her fist tightly.

Right at that moment, her teacher came into the classroom, along with a specific blonde that caught her heart before…

"Good Morning…" her teacher started,

"…please introduce yourself, transfer student…" the teacher continued with a gesture,

The blonde nodded before she started to write her name on the chalkboard,

 _Ayase Eri_

It says.

"Ayase Eli…"

She says.

Nozomi raises her eyebrow,

 _She has a foreign name part, why would she write it in Kanji?_

She asked herself.

"…I'm from Russia….but I used to live in Japan for a while before…" the blonde continued with her charming, cold voice.

 _Oohh_ _…_ _No wonder she speaks so fluently._

Nozomi thought,

 _But where are you going to sit?_

She continues in her thoughts as she started to look for an empty seat, other than the one in front of her…

But from the left corner until the right corner— she couldn't find any.

 _Oh no!_

Nozomi thought immediately,

 _She is sitting right in front of me!_

She thought again as she grabs her table,

 _It will be troublesome if she sits for too long, the ghost_ _'_ _s effects might freeze her!_

 _Unless…._

 _I can make the ghost get off her chair_ _…._

The blonde walks carefully to her sear,

 _I need to do it quick!_

She thought as she began to whisper her chants.

 _Ooooo_ _—_ _ghost that makes things cold, be gone!_

She casted a small spiritual power to shove the ghost away. And in return the ghost turns her dreadful face at Nozomi—who responded with a frown on her face,

 _Begone...begone_ _…_ _.this is no longer your place!_

…and the ghost turns her face away.

 _She ignored me!_

Then Ayase Eli sits on the chair….

 _Well...at least she knows that_ _—…._

And the ghost placed both of her hands on the blonde's shoulder.

 _What?! Now she is holding onto her?!_

* * *

Afternoon, The Otonokizaka 1st year classroom;

The class is over and everyone is about to leave the classroom. Nozomi remained still as she stares into the blonde who haven't yet moved from her place.

 _This is bad_ _…_ _if I shove this ghost, she could enter her vessel instead_ _…_ _then the real soul might leave and never be able to return_ _…._

Nozomi thought as she stares at the ghost who was still gripping onto Eli's shoulder,

 _Argh…_ _I could_ _'_ _ve learned a few other spells before coming here_ _…_ _I knew it won_ _'_ _t be easy!_

She thought again.

 _Uhm...there must be a way to exorcise the ghost without other spells_ _…like, hmm…_ _well...the ghost attribute is ice_ _…_ _so maybe I can use fire attribute items on her_ _…_

Nozomi remain silent in deep thought for a moment…

 _I can_ _'_ _t burn this girl_ _…._

 _I_ _'_ _ll be arrested for attempting murder_ _…._

She continued.

 _Oh—_ _ahh! I know! I should take her to the beach! It_ _'_ _s hot there!_

The purplenette widen her eyes as if it was her greatest idea…

 _But…_ _we don_ _'_ _t even know each other_ _—_ _and I really doubt a ghost like her will cause any trouble for this girl_ _…_

She continued again as she sighs softly.

 _Ah—_ _I must not give up! It is my dream to open an actual ghost buster agency! I have to be able to exorcise this with all my might and wit!_

Nozomi thought as she witnesses the blonde leaving—along with the ghost on her shoulders.

 _S-She is leaving! I have to hurry up and intro_ _—…._

"Ayase Eli, isn't it…?" said one of her classmates, which stopped her from doing what she was about to do.

"Yes, what's your problem?" Eli replied coldly,

 _Cold!_

Nozomi screamed out in her own mind.

"N-No no…we're not trying to challenge you into anything, we're just wondering if you have decided to join any clubs…" her classmate said,

"It will be my choice later, but for now, I don't see any interest to join…" Eli replied coldly again.

 _I swear, this girl is either under the effect of that ghost or she is just naturally cold!_

Nozomi shouted in her mind again,

"I-I see… thanks a lot, Ayase ….I hope you find the best one…" her classmate said with slight fear,

Eli smirked before she took another way to leave the classroom. Then suddenly, three girls came up to her,

"A-Ayase! You are so gorgeous! Let's be friends!" said a girl,

"We can try going for karaoke or get some blind dates scheduled!" said the other girl

"Or—we can go to the arcade and have some fun!" the other girl added.

Eli sighed softly, and then rolled her eyes,

"Tch…I'm not interested to be friends with people who likes people from their appearances…plus… Why would I want to karaoke? My singing voice is better than your heart. And on top of that…a Blind-date? Seriously? Are you that desperate? Do you think I take enjoyment from spending my money on pointless actions like that? And as for the arcade? No… I'd rather be efficient in more important things…" she replied coldly.

 _This girl is beyond help!_

Nozomi felt a big thunder strike her heart as she witnessed such a sentence being said without a single waver in her voice.

The awkwardness continues until Eli scoffed at them and leaves without hesitation.

 _I have no more time than this! That girl needs to be saved!_

She said before she began to tidy up her belongings and swiftly walk out from classroom to catch up with Eli.

* * *

Meanwhile in the Otonokizaka principal's office;

A middle aged woman with ash-brown hair and with a tufted hair that grew cutely over her head, was currently talking to three students wearing a 'student-council' arm-band…

"Principal Minami…." Said the student in the middle,

"….we're running out of budget again, I think we have to stop funding for unnecessary clubs… or the clubs who have spent too much of our budget, like… the photography club…." The other student said.

"They broke the lights again—and the reflector… this school isn't ready for such technology…" the other student followed.

Principal Minami— the woman with ash brown hair sighed softly,

"No, we will still fund them—but we will not fund for their equipment again…" she said.

"Understood…" the middle student replied.

"….um…this is just a little information from them, but they said that the lamp and the reflector always breaks after the rain, a witness said that they saw someone running into the clubroom before it happened, but then that someone never came out again…" the other student said,

"….they checked if there's any hint of escape, but they couldn't find any… rumor says, that the ghosts are the students who died here six years ago— she's jealous because she was never able to join the club because she didn't own an actual camera…"

"Don't be ridiculous!" the student in the middle cut in..

"Ghosts don't exist! They're just making excuses for their recklessness…" she continued.

"There's a chance of that, but I've tried to look at the past data, our upperclassman also said the same kind of thing in their years… it's hard to see this as nonsense…." The other student said.

The room becomes quiet as they all started to think about it.

Principal Minami sighed, then she smiled softly…

"Don't you just wish there was an agency that could take care of this situation?"

"There's a report data from last year… we used to have a club that was said to be built for such… but the club disbanded because of the incident on the 4th of April where the entire club went on a rampage for an unknown reason…"

"The report was left hidden and no one knows about the incident because it said that only members of the student council and the club members themselves know…"

Principal Minami nodded,

"I see….then we have no choice…." She said.

The three students slightly tilt their heads,

"We will slowly close down this school!"

* * *

Afternoon, The Otonokizaka's hallway;

Nozomi walked in hurried steps as she tried to catch up with the blonde, who walked quickly down the stairs,

"E-Excuse me!" she called out.

Eli stopped and turned her cold glance towards the purplenette,

Come to think of it, Nozomi hasn't gotten to see her face in such a moment, where there are only two of them looking at each other—ignoring the fact that Eli still has a ghost leaning on her shoulder….

"I….I'm…." Nozomi started to realize that something froze her legs as she stared deeper into the blonde's azure eyes,

"….Toujou Nozomi!" she continued with the warmest smile she can possibly make.

"I know you…" Eli said,

"You were the one who hit my eyes with your hair…" she continued.

Nozomi lifted her eyebrow and smirked, feeling embarrassed,

"H-how about we just about that little incident, ok?" the purple haired girl said,

"As much as I want to forget your face…" the blonde said as she walks away without remorse.

 _That_ _'_ _s really cold!_

Nozomi confirmed in her mind,

 _But—_ _this is not going to be the end! I have to prove that I can help her!_

She continued as she run down to follow her again,

"I want to tell you a truth!" Nozomi said.

Ayase Eli remained still on her place— showing hint that she is willing to listen,

"—you're in trouble! Bad fortune will fall upon you and you will never have a boyfriend!" Nozomi said loudly,

"Do I even care about that nonsense?" Eli replied coldly before she continues to walk away once more.

"I'm not joking!" the turquoise eyed girl said louder.

Once again, Eli stopped, and then gave her the coldest glance she could ever made today,

"….I'd rather die than live under other's feet…." She said before she once again leaves.

 _She really needs to be saved as soon as possible! This sounds worse than it looks!_

Nozomi said in her mind.

 _I have no choice! This is a bad idea but_ _—….!_

She bent down and charged towards her,

 _I have to do it for her sake!_

She knocked Eli down with her head.

* * *

Afternoon, The Shrine;

Nozomi has not yet decided about what she is going to do to the woman, who sat unconscious next to her along with the ghost, that haven't let go her shoulders.

 _This ghost_ _…._

She said in her mind…

 _Is pretty persistent on following her around, huh? I_ _'_ _m surprised that she is fine with being in the shrine_ _…_ _I mean, this shrine is surely a scary place for an evil spirit_ _…._

 _Wait_ _…._

She lifted her eyebrows,

 _Does that mean? The ghost is not evil?_

She thought.

 _Or maybe she is not evil yet!_

She frowned slightly,

 _But, ah, I need to communicate with this ghost_ _…_

She thought again as she watches the ghost patiently look at the beautiful blonde. Then she began to look around until her eyes locked to the shrine library just outside the room she is in.

She nodded to herself then swiftly moves towards the library.

As she reached there, she began to look for a book which could help her communicate with the ghost. For about a few minutes, she trotted the quiet library with her muffled footsteps, carefully reaching for each alphabetically arranged books.

 _S –_ _spiritual communication with souls,_

Says the title of the book that caught her attention. She carefully opened it and started to read,

 _First step,_

 _What you need to understand from each soul is their feeling toward what they occupy. An example of case is when they have lived in the area for long, they tend to have their soul bound_ _to it, so they wont move unless they could find a better place. In other words, convincing a soul to move to where they belong, is your main mission._

 _Second,_

 _Remember to always pay attention to affinities, fire_ _–_ _water , wind_ _–_ _earth , light - dark. When you are about to start communicating with a soul, always wear a charm that is related to the same or opposite elements, (fire_ _–_ _fire or fire_ _–_ _water , wind_ _–_ _wind or wind_ _–_ _earth) , in the side note, please remember that fire does not always lose from water as they may have higher level of affinity, so if you happen to have lower level of affinity, its better to use the same element than the opposite._

 _Third,_

 _Approaching one soul could be tricky, you have to understand that not all of them like to be approached as their missions are different from each other. Most souls that remain in this world are those who haven_ _'_ _t be_ _en able to finish their mission, before they kicked the bucket, you can either convince them to let it go or help them fulfill it. Important note : if you cannot do either of them, then you have to prepare yourself to catch them and force them to go to nirvana. If you can't do that either, its better to keep distance before they bring you to the edge._

 _A quick explanation_ _on the_ _"edge"_ _status is where you have a high urge to end your lifetime without finishing your mission. It_ _'_ _s a dangerous status for those who are lacking of spiritual defense. A wandering soul who falls in love with a_ _mortal tend_ _s to quickly make this status on their victim because they wanted to be together. A good side of it is that the soul highly has a chance to go to nirvana as the victim agrees to join them, but we probably want to keep the mortal living as they might suffer more than the soul that brings them to hanging._

As Nozomi was about to turn the page, she hears a noise coming from the other room, where she had left the blonde. Its further away from the library, but the sound is loud and clear since there's no other sound throughout the shrine.

She quickly moves to take a look, but then realized that the person she was with had already left her place.

 _Oh No!_

She thought before she left the library to look around. It didn't take long to find the blonde, trying her hardest to walk while holding her belly-which probably still hurts from the head-butt that Nozomi landed on her. As for the ghost, well…she's still attached to her.

"Hey you!" Nozomi called loudly,

The blonde turned her face at her,

"Its you again! I will report you for this assault!" she said,

"You don't understand!" The purplenette replied.

"What do I not understand? You attacked me and brought me all the way here!"

Nozomi sighed weakly,

"Listen, there's a ghost attached to your shoulder!" she said.

"Hah! Do you think I believe in a spiritual nonsense like that?"

Just as she said that, the ghost seem to react to it… there's a big hint of worry in her and dark clouds started to envelope her. Nozomi couldn't be more speechless than she is right now. Then as she witnesses the blonde starting to have a reaction as well…

"H-hey! Are you ok?" she asked,

The blonde only glanced at her coldly before she began to run off,

"Hey!" Nozomi instinctively runs to catch up with her.

The blonde is unexpectedly fast- but luckily Nozomi isn't that slow either. After a few seconds of running around the shrine, the blonde ended up cornered in the east side of the shrine, with tall walls surrounding her from all sides, and Nozomi standing right in front of her-trying to catch her breath.

"Why are you following me?!" The blonde yelled,

"Listen…." Nozomi paused to take some breath,

"There's a ghost on your shoulder… I want to talk to her!"

"There's nothing on my shoulder!"

"There is! Please believe me!"

"I don't believe in that kind of nonsense!"

"Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean they don't exist! You are not the eyes of the world! Stop being arrogant!"

The blonde remained quiet unable to form a good enough response,

"Please, stay quiet for now.. ok? Just…. Let me have a little talk with her…"

After a moment of quietness, Nozomi started…

"What do you want from her….?"

The ghost remained quiet with her gloom expression and clouds surrounding her,

"She does not belong to you, you just found her this morning…." Nozomi continued,

And there, she noticed that she tightened her grip, and left was left confused about what's exactly happening…

"Let her go, you can't have her. This is no longer your time to be here! You are supposed to be in heaven with your family!"

The ghost lighten her expression,

"Please remember… they are probably wanting for you to come back to them…"

Then the ghost nodded to her, but she began to embrace the blonde tighter,

"I understand…" the ghost whispered,

"But let me have her too, its been lonely!" she continued,

"No you can't!" Nozomi said,

"Why? She is lonely too! She will want to leave everything just like me!"

"No you are not going to make her do what you did! She is not you! Besides! I'll be her friend so that she will never feel lonely again!"

Just as she said that, the ghost and Eli herself seemed to be surprised, then both of them frowned,

"A liar like you is what makes me sick of life!" both said the same thing,

"How could you say that I'm a liar? You don't even know me!" Nozomi said,

"It's going to be the same, you said you are my friend, but all you want to do is stab me on my back! You are a liar! A betrayer! I hate you!" both replied at the same time,

Nozomi frowned deeper,

"Get lost , you! You are going no where if you are stuck in that kind of mindset!"

Then the ghost and Eli looks at the well next to them, without doubt, they run towards it while Nozomi quickly strives to catch Eli before she attempted to jump in,

"You are going no where!"

"Unhand me you liar! Its better down there!"

"Snap out of it!"

"It is where I belong! No one will find me there and no one will hurt me there!" both of the ghost and Eli said it,

Nozomi couldn't be angrier than she is, she took a really deep breath and shouted,

"I said-…!"

A fiery aura started to come out from her,

"-Stop dragging her into your foolishness!" a blast of spiritual fire rounded the area, the ghost that attached on to Eli's shoulder started to scream mindlessly as she burned into transparent ashes and disappears.

As it happens, Eli lost her consciousness and fell back next to the well. Nozomi once again tried to catch up with her breath. Then a feeling of someone watching her came – which Nozomi quickly responded,

"who's that?"

She said,

An old grandma walks out of her hiding, she is in a shrine maiden dress,

"My-my, what did I just see here?" she smiled gently,

Nozomi lighten her expression and smiled back at her despite her slight confusion,

"Ah, morning...uhm.. granma.."

"My name is Kagemiya Kyouko, a lot of people call me Kyouko, but I'll love it better if you call me Kagemi…" she said.

"Kagemi-san, then?" Nozomi asked,

The old woman chuckled,

"Yes, that suits me.." she said.

"I trust I just witnessed you exorcising a ghost?" she continued.

"Yes… pretty much that was it…" Nozomi replied.

"A big mistake that you just did is where you provoked it to rage and crush her with your mighty fire. That's not how you do it child.., exorcising is not a way for humans to be almighty over them, but its to help them find peace.."

"ah…" Nozomi seems to be concerned,

"its fine, you are not entirely wrong, you just saved your friend…"

Kagemi said as she looks at Eli, who is still unconscious. She carefully approached her and wiped her face with a cloth that she held. Nozomi felt flustered for a while but then she realized something,

"Kagemi-san! Don't tell me… you are-…?"

"Ssshh… it's fine, child… she will need to learn her lesson… and you will guide her…" she said.

"Me…? But…"

"Experience is your best teacher, just keep what I have told you in mind… you'll be fine… also, read some more books, you will have a lot to work with…"

Nozomi nodded,

"I see…"

"Now, take your friend back home… you know what to do next…"

* * *

Night time, The Toujo's apartment bedroom;

When the blonde slowly opened her eyes- she was faced with the sight of a new homey scenery and a purple haired girl who fell asleep next to the bed she lied on.

She quickly jumped off the bed and yelled,

"Why on shattering earth did put me on your bed?"

Nozomi woke up from it and turn her sight at her,

"Relax! I didn't do anything to you, just taking off shoes, socks and the blue jacket, nothing else…" she replied,

"I remember you did a lot to me from this morning, from whipping my eyes until making me stressed enough to get myself jump off the well! What do you really want?"

"Nothing! I just want to save you!"

"Save me from what? You have been the one dragging me into trouble!"

"I'm not dragging you into trouble..! You are brought there!"

"You are just a pathetic liar! Shut up!"

"I did not lie! Plus, if you keep that attitude, you'll be lonely forever!"

"I don't care!"

Nozomi frowned slightly,

"Seriously? I thought you want a friend!"

"I don't care! I don't need friends! I can do everything myself!"

"You can't! You were almost killed by a ghost! If it wasn't me, you wouldn't even be alive!"

"..and why do you even try to live? Everyone dies! Life isn't worth keeping.."

Nozomi nodded,

"I see now… this is the lesson you have to learn…."

"What now?!"

"Life is not that bad, I tell you. You just have to break some actions and earn some fun. Its easy!"

"I rather think of my future than to waste my lifetime for that"

"Now! You are just contradicting with what you said! I thought you don' t care about life?"

"Just because I said I don't care doesn't mean I'm not going to work for it…!"

"You're being complex now!" Nozomi said,

"If you can't understand me, leave me alone!" Eli replied.

"As much as you are going to reject, I will not give up my point that you are going to be my friend!"

"I don't need you!" Eli stated surely before she stormed out of the room, which Nozomi quickly respond to as she jumps off the bed,

"You will need me to guide you! You are no longer blind!" Nozomi said.

"You are not making any sense! I'm done with you!" Eli replied louder as she picks up her jacket, snatched her bag then walk to the shoe rack to hurriedly wear her socks,

"It's not the same kind of blind…!" Nozomi still tried to convince,

Eli sighed heavily before she got on her shoes and stomp out of the room-only to stop on the door entrance,

She cant believe what she sees with her eyes anymore,

A population that she doesn't expect to exist…

The floating souls and the non-human creatures, which can't possibly be true according to her knowledge.

"W-wh-what is this?!" she said,

"I told you, you are no longer blind. Until you learn how to deal with it, you better stick around me!"

"Bah! This is your doing, right?!"

"Does that even matter? You can see it with your eyes now! You have to stick around me!"

"If you want me to pamper you and your beliefs, you don't have to do this to me!"

"Its not like that! I didn't do that to you and that's not even the purpose why your third eye has opened, someone wanted you to learn about this! Its important for you and not for anyone else!"

Eli huffed to what Nozomi said then she continued to walk out of the place,

"Hey!" Nozomi tried to call after her as she witnesses Eli to leave swiftly,

There's a female ghost floating on the path, which Eli intentionally dodge as she said,

"I don't care about you! It's your fault that you are stuck in this stupid world! You could've gotten better if you went to the light!"

Then the female ghost seems to be taking a notice to her, then began to follow her…

 _Aahh! Crap! She is taking a soul with her again!_

Nozomi said in her mind, she is about to catch up with her but she stopped as she remember about what she shouted a while back,

' _I don'_ _t need you_ _'_ _she said_ _…._

Her eyes watching into the distance,

' _I don'_ _t care_ _'_ _she said_ _…._

Her memory returned her to the past, at the time when she shouted out the same thing to everyone around her…

 _For some reason_ _…._

She said with a pause as her memory kept taking her to the past,

… _.I feel like I have known that kind of person_ _…._

She continued with a faint smile on her lips.

* * *

Next morning, The Otonokizaka 1st year classroom;

Nozomi walked to her classroom, still with thought of having to look at a specific blonde that she had her attention on yesterday. She waited on her seat along with a deck of tarot cards to ease her curiosity,

 _What will she bring up to me today_ _…?_

She thought as she shuffled her card, then she picks the one on the top….

 _Reverse Chariot_

 _Hmm…._

She gave a moment to think about it…

 _Something will go too slowly_ ….

She said in her mind before the school bell suddenly rang and the specific blonde still has yet arrive to sit in front of her. At the time when she was about to question where she might be, the classroom door suddenly slammed opened,

Ayase Eli- along with a horde of souls behind her, grabbing her on her shoulders walk in very slowly to the classroom…

"See…?" she said with her darkened eyes from the lack of sleep,

"…I can do it without you!" she continued.

Nozomi smirked at her,

 _Do you seriously want to do things yourself from now on?_

She thought.

"You're three second late…" Nozomi said.

"Doesn't count, because I've used those 3 seconds to look at you!" Eli replied as she dragged her feet as the horde of souls kept hanging onto her, Nozomi swears that she has never seen anyone do something like this in a day.

"You should be glad, because you might be the only person thats in my mind right now… I could forget everyone if I want to, you know…"Eli said as she placed her heavy body onto the chair—which just immediately breaking it down within second…

Everyone in the classroom was astonished, though Nozomi noticed the anger on Eli's face and decided to remain quiet.

"I swear…." Eli whispered,

"These damned souls broke more than what I expected…." She continued.

"Just admit it…. You need me…." Nozomi said.

Eli sighed heavily before she falls to the ground and cracks the wooden floor under her.

* * *

Morning, the Otonokizaka Clinic;

The Blonde woke up slowly as her vision started to show a blurry image of a woman with ash brown hair,

"Ah, you're awake…." The woman said,

Eli remained quiet as she tried to confirm the person currently talking to her,

"….It's rare to see a transfer student getting in trouble in her early days, but I suppose it can't be helped since our school is indeed really something at the moment…." The woman continued again.

"…—spiritual happenings and all, then someone who could drag a horde of spiritual beings along with someone who can exorcise them within minutes… I hardly believe it even though my eyes are convinced…"

Eli remain quiet as she tries to get her vision back,

"….you look awful Ayase, did you get enough sleep last night?" The woman suddenly asked.

Eli shook her head slightly,

"….I can imagine… for someone who gets followed by that kind of horde…" the woman began to talk again.

Eli blink her eyes for a few times and realizes that a heavy burden has been lifted off her shoulder, then she look around the area just to find a few souls that doesn't seems to be interested to pick on anyone.

Then she looked the woman who has been talking with her— ash brunette with white formal shirt and dark skirt… seemed to be a lot older than her,

"…Principal Minami…." Eli whispered her name,

"Yes, yes, that's me…." the principal said with a somewhat friendly smile.

"How are you feeling now?" she asked the blonde,

Eli remained quiet for a moment again before she tried to figure out how she exactly feels.

There's a part of her saying that she feels glad that all the burden has been lifted,

On the other hand, she feels ashamed to admit her loss to a specific someone,

Then on the other side, she feels guilty that she didn't say thank you to that specific someone for helping her….

While there's still another part that says she feels great that she doesn't have to make eye contact with that specific someone immediately after she opened her eyes.

"I don't know…." Eli replied.

"There's just too many mixed feelings inside of me right now…" she continued.

The principal giggled,

"I understand, you don't have to force yourself to understand, but it would be nice if you know… that you should feel glad that Toujou Nozomi saved you…."

Eli bit her lips,

"It's embarrassing… nothing is good about that…" she said,

The Principal sighed weakly,

"It's a lot more embarrassing for someone to not admit that they are indeed in need of others… No one can live alone, you know…"

Eli remains quiet to it.

"…and if you think you can live alone, you will never be able to get what you are looking for…"

Eli seems to be drawn into the sentence that Prinicipal Minami spoke,

"How do you know I'm looking for something?" Eli asked,

Principal Minami smiled sweetly,

"It's written in your face… not literally of course… but anyone with enough ability to read one's expression will know…"

The blonde tried to think of what exactly she meant by it. Is it simply her telling that she has the ability or was it just a way of her to tell that she is being easily read.

"… the day when you entered this school all by yourself, taking care of everything and handed all the document to your parents once you settled it, no one ever has that much motivation to register to a school, you know. This school also has not much to offer, but how could someone as brilliant as you want to enter this school? There must be something else here… right?"

Eli turned her eyes away,

"Maybe…" she whispered.

Principal Minami sighed softly,

"Very well… if you refuse to talk further into it, I'm not going to force you… but… remember— that what you and Toujou experience are nothing normal people could grasp… you really should start talking to her— she let herself look like a freak as she exorcised the horde above your shoulder, you know…."

Eli sighed,

"…but I really don't need her…. she could've just let me take it all by myself…"

"…are you going to be happy if your good intentions were treated that way?" Principal Minami asked,

Eli remained quiet,

"….believe me, she means no harm to you… she just wanted to help you out…" she continued.

The blonde smirked wryly at her as a response,

"You will never know before you try…"

Then the blonde frowned slightly as she heard it,

"I don't want to try something I will surely fail at… I'd rather take it the hard way…" she said.

Principal Minami's expression changed into a concerned look,

"I don't understand what you meant by something you will surely fail at, you just need to work with Toujou..."

"I appreciate the attempt, Principal Minami, but no, I'm not working with anyone…" Eli said as she sat up from her bed, then she looked at the time,

 _11:45 AM_

It says.

"This should be fifteen minutes before lunch break…" Eli said.

"….and it only takes approximately two minutes to walk from here to the classroom…" she continued,

Principal Minami watched the blonde walking to the mirror near the sink,

"….is there anything else I need to hear, Principal Minami? I'll stick around until then…" the blonde continued again.

Principal Minami chuckled,

"Sure…. There is… Ayase…" she said.

Eli didn't even make eye contact as she fixed her hair in front of the mirror,

"….being arrogant is a negative attitude…" Principal Minami continued, Eli seems to be surprised as she heard it,

"You don't remember who holds the real power in this school, huh?" Principal Minami crossed her arms,

Eli turned around,

"Are you going to expel me on my second day?" she said with a frown,

"Oh—No… there's no way of me to do that. I wouldn't want to humiliate my own name by expelling someone as bright as you… there's another way to teach you a lesson…" The woman replied with a smile,

Eli clenched her fist,

"….in about two months, the old generation of the student council will have to retire… and there should be a voting for the new president…" she continued,

"You don't mean…!" Eli frowned deeper as she said it,

"….Yes, you will be listed as the candidate no matter how you feel about it… so… you better start thinking of who is the person that will be your vice president—to help you with everything I will hand you.…"

"I refuse!" Eli said,

"—If you refuse, just imagine what people will say about you… a person that they thought to be smart is in fact useless and helpless… wouldn't that be bad for your reputation? No one will value you more than a piece of garbage in school…"

"I'll never be a student council! Put aside being known!"

"…oh you will—and you don't have to worry about the promotion… I'll make the recommendation myself…" Principal Minami said as she stood up from her seat and headed to the room's entrance— passing through Eli who clenched her fist tighter.

"You only have a few minutes left, Ayase, is there anything else you want to tell me?" Principal Minami continued as she looks into Eli with sharp eyes,

"L-Leave me alone….!" Eli said loudly to her.

* * *

Lunch-break, Otonokizaka rooftop;

The blonde, looking down to the school grounds through the tall fences, her eyes despaired while her hands gripped onto the fence ever-so-tightly.

She couldn't stop thinking of what the Principal had just said to her, obviously because she has never wanted to be the center of attention like how a student council will have to be…

But alas, if only she could think of a way to escape that— a way to outsmart the Principal… a way to stop her from being a student council president in the future…

"Lost in thought, Ayase-san?" said a familiar voice…

Eli turned around to see a specific purplenette holding a pair of canned juices.

"I don't know what you want, but, orange juice is commonly liked… so, that is what I got for you…." she continued as she approached the blonde carefully.

"I hope you like—…"

And just before she was able to hand the can to her, the blonde hits her hands away—throwing away the can down to the floor. Luckily it was tough enough and wasn't burst open.

"How many times do I have to tell you to leave me alone?!" The blonde yelled,

Nozomi couldn't say another word as she watched the can rolling back to her after it recoiled from the wall.

"I don't need any of you people to stick your nose into my life! I hate it!" Eli stated again.

For a moment, the two remain silent until the turquoise eyed girl chuckled to her,

"So… you are going to insist on moving on your own, huh?" she said…

"Yes, you hear me now?! I don't need you!" Eli stated loudly as a respond to Nozomi,

"Well, tell you what…. you're not going to win… I can be a lot more stubborn than you, Ayase-san…"

And by then, Eli stomped her feet before she swiftly headed to the door of the rooftop and say,

"Idiot!"

Then the blonde passed by the purplenette without looking at her,

"Toujou Nozomi…." the purplenette said which stopped the blonde from moving further,

"….you still remember my name, right?" she smiled sweetly.

* * *

 **If you have ever watch this Anime, Gakkou no Kaidan (Ghost at School), this story is also a little inspired from there. I'm planning to make this fan fiction slightly interactive by making some kind of question for reader to decide the solution which will affect the next chapter, though I suppose it will be hard to do that since I believe people have different timezone and it won't be fair for some people.**

 **So maybe I'll let you people to make something like a suggestion to what ghost story that they want me to use reference from. (But I probably just will make it into a joke/humor anyway lol)**

 **Thanks for the support till now peoples! I love you!**


	2. Ch2: The President of Otonokizaka

**Ok, here is the next chapter.**

 **Thanks to Crimson for edits!**

 **Thanks to you for the enthusiast! (reviews/faves/follows!)**

* * *

Two Months later, Otonokizaka High-school hallway;

Eli came to school—with another group of souls following her while Nozomi, who just arrived, quickly ran after her and started exorcising the souls without even telling her. Eli rolled her eyes as she struggled to move faster towards the classroom.

Though within seconds, the burden on her shoulders suddenly lifted and she just turned around at the girl behind her who immediately snatched her arm and embraced it closely,

"Good Morning, Ayase-san!" she said cheerfully.

Eli couldn't say a word, she tried to release her arm but ...

"Let's go to the classroom together again today! It's a fine day to do so!" Nozomi said cheerfully as she gripped strongly to Eli's arm.

"W-What are you—?!" Eli trying to retort,

"Come on-come on, Ayase-san! We're close to the class already!"

"S-Sheesh! Our class is just a few meters from the entrance!" Eli protested as she was kept getting dragged to the classroom. Though they stopped immediately as they sighted a few student council members posting a few student council president candidate posters on the news board…

Eli remembers well about the talk she had with the Principal—which triggered her anger to raise and she immediately approached the student council members….

"Hey…." She said,

The student councils changed their attention to her,

"—I refuse! I didn't even register for this!" she continued.

The student council look at each other before they nodded.

"You must be Ayase Eli, right? The Principal insisted you to join as a recommended president for the school. You can't forfeit unless you lose the vote…"

"Great—how do I lose the vote?" Eli asked,

"You can't lose the vote…" suddenly, a voice that they all knew well, spoke up.

Everyone turned their sight to the source of the voice— Principal Minami approached them elegantly with a hint of mischievous smile on her face,

"….for someone as bright and attractive like you, losing votes is a no-no…. unless, there's someone a lot more capable of being in the president position…" she said before her eyes glanced to the purplenette,

"….right, Toujou?" she continued,

"Y-yes?" Nozomi tilted her head slightly, Eli remained still as her eyes focused on how flustered the turquoise eyed girl is, though something has gone through her mind as it happened.

"Very well, if that's what you want… Principal…" Eli smiled,

Principal Minami kept her calmness as her eyes still looking at the Blonde's enthusiasm to counter her wit.

"I can't wait to see the results…" she said,

"…and I can't wait for your speech this noon, Ayase…." Principal Minami said as she left the hallway.

* * *

Noon, The Otonokizaka Auditorium Hall;

A line of student councils sat on the chairs settled for them on the stage while a lot of students awaits for each candidate's speeches with enthusiasm as they waited for the principal to finish talking….

"….lastly, my dear students. Please choose wisely for who will be your lead during these years and so-on… because this school wasn't built by one person— but by every single member of it…" the principal said as her eyes sharply leered at Eli who sat between the other students,

"Thank you for your attention and may God bless each of you with His wisdom…" the principal left the podium as she allowed the student council representation to take her place.

As the representation steps onto the podium, a specific purplenette, who has been asleep the whole time, began to lift her eyes toward the stage,

"This is…." she mumbled,

Eli who sat next to her noticed the change of expression,

"What is it now? I can't see anything…." She said,

"I suppose so, but there's something inside that representative…I doubt you can feel it since it requires a higher spiritual level." Nozomi replied.

"Sheesh…. Why am I even interested to know about this anyway…" Eli sighed,

"That's because you care, Ayase-san… you're not that cruel deep inside, I know it..."

Eli only replied with a sigh,

"Tell me now, Ayase-san, how do you like their breast size?"

"Their breast size? So-so… I'm not that interested on average and lower size. Bigger ones would be better since they're very soft and warm as well…"

"Ah—so you like massive ones…. interesting… do you happen to be not interested on manly aspect… such as… big…and long…. You know…."

"Why are we even talking about this now… I'm not here to score a stud or anything, besides you said it yourself that I will never have a boyfriend… "

"…still doesn't mean you will never have a girlfriend…" Nozomi said,

And with that, Eli couldn't help herself to not blush madly,

"—I'm basically not interested on making love with anyone, thank you!"

Nozomi lifted her eyebrows as she realizes how effective her tease is…

 _My! I didn_ _'_ _t expect her to react like this!_

She said in her mind with a smug smile on her face,

 _Does that mean, she is actually interested on having_ _a girlfriend?!_

She continued as her eyes kept looking at the Blonde's Azure eyes.

 _W-Wait a minute now! I didn_ _'_ _t expect someone as beautiful and attractive like her to have the same sexual orientation as me!_

Nozomi said loudly in her mind.

 _Does she really swing that way?_

She asked in her thoughts as her eyes keep looking at the blonde who started to get more nervous as they slowly got closer to each other—ignoring the fact that the student council has started giving each of their speech through the representative.

"Ayase-san!" Nozomi grabs both of her hands,

"W-What now?! S-Stop being so clingy!"

"….are you interested in me?!"

"W-What!? What's with that sudden question!? Huh?! I..I mean… you're indeed interesting but… Why are you even talking like this all so sudden?!" Eli tried to retort,

"No-no, I mean, are you interested on making me your lover?!"

"I-I said! I'm not interested on making love with anyone!"

Then suddenly…

"Now please welcome….our first candidate, Ayase Eli!" said the student council representative.

Eli remained still as she frowned slightly at the stage, but she had no choice other than to give her speech, as everyone started to applaud for her.

Nozomi released the blonde as she realize that she and her have been the center of attention ever since the announcement, then she watched her friend walking to the stage with her focused eyes.

 _Has she even prepared for it, I wonder?_

Nozomi thought.

 _She is kind of not interested for it, right? I wonder what made her get into this kind of trouble_ _…_ _I mean_ _…_ _I know she has always been in trouble ever since that day we met each other_ _…_

 _But…_ _this_ _…_

 _It_ _'_ _s almost impossible if she is not doing anything than_ _getting_ _on the Principal_ _'_ _s nerve_ _s_ _…_

 _Oh—_ _either way though_ _…._

 _I have to do something about it!_

She clenched her fist as she watches Eli taking the podium.

"Good Afternoon, everyone… Sorry that I didn't prepare anything for this speech…" Eli said. Some students began to talk to each other,

"Ah…so that's Ayase Eli, the one that the principal recommended! How beautiful!"

"Yes! She also has a beautiful voice and attractive foreign accent! I bet she will win this!"

"Yep! I'm totally going to choose her!"

Nozomi remained quiet as she heard them, though she began to wonder after a while…

 _A foreign accent, huh? Does everyone like it when they feel like talking to a foreign?_

She thought.

 _I could do some foreign accents too, but maybe I should make it a little more local than her, I don_ _'_ _t want it to sound fake_ _…_

She placed her finger on her own chin,

"…..that's why…." Eli's voice suddenly rose slightly, which captured Nozomi's attention back to her,

"…. I want you all to know that I am not worthy to be your leader, instead, I want to be part of you all to build this school. From what we know on daily basis… I have been hanging out with this specific person who might be a better candidate than I…" she continued as her gaze sharply focused onto Nozomi.

 _W-what?! Why is she looking at me now!?_

"….her name is Toujou Nozomi, surprisingly great at most of her studies and know a lot trivial knowledge in life… open minded and friendly, if I have to be as blunt as I could be, I would wed her at sight…"

Then the audience started to hype at it,

Eli just smiled and gave out her victorious glance at the principal who somewhat remained calm on her seat,

"Toujou-san has the quality of a Goddess, she could guess what's inside of your mind and give you comfort by just being around her, we all want that kind of leader, right? Or perhaps you would rather call that kind of person as the "mother" of this school?"

The audience chuckled,

"What with this person? She is so funny!" a student near Nozomi whispered,

"I heard she didn't even practice for this, isn't that amazing to have this much confidence?"

"…I'd like to choose her now! We all want this kind of leader! Or maybe… the papa of this school?!" the other student joked.

"Haha—sure! Then Nozomi will certainly be what she wants! The Mama of this school!"

Nozomi couldn't say a single word as a comeback, but rather she could feel the blood rushing up to her cheeks,

 _Why is she dragging me into this?! I_ _'_ _m not even prepared for it!_

She said in her mind,

"….Please welcome, Toujou Nozomi!" Eli said somewhat too cheerfully—a forged kind of cheerful.

Then some giggled to her,

"W-what does she think this is? An Idol show?" a student said,

"Ohh! Ayase-san is a dork! How cute is that?!" said the other student.

"I will bet all my lunch for her…" said another student.

Ignoring what she heard from the others, Nozomi began to feel nervous from the fact that she is being called up to the stage. But of course, if she acts all shy, it will be a lot more embarrassing for her—and for someone that she wanted to befriend.

 _What should I do_ _…..?_

She thought to herself as she stood up from her seat.

 _I hate how she just called me out like that, but_ _…_ _if I back up now_ _…_ _. that would mean I_ _'_ _m…_ _pulling off my own words that I will surely win on befriending her_ _….!_

She continued as she steps onto the stage.

 _No… I can_ _'_ _t just give up_ _…. I_ _'_ _ve sworn to myself that I will never hate her_ _… I can_ _'_ _t hate her just because of this! I have to play it off!_

Nozomi lands her feet on the stage and in a swift motion, she took up the podium—playfully clinging onto Eli's arm,

"Hello Everyone!"

Eli smirked slightly, knowing that things will not go like how she wanted it to be just from hearing how Nozomi talked in a way different accent.

"Hmmm…everyone look so cute and wonderful today! But anyhow! Please don't listen to the humble dear right here…." She continued.

"Humble?!" Eli smirked wryly—then her eyes set on the Principal who seemed to be amused,

"The Darling over here, Ayase Eli is too kind and humble, also understanding because—we all know… that speech could make everyone sleepy, so that's why she pulled off this kind of stunt to make you all listen to her and be entertained!" Nozomi continued with a big confident smile,

"Isn't that Kansai-Dialect!? How cute!" said a student on the front line,

"I'm pretty sure it sounded cute because it's her who said it. I mean… her voice is just adorable!" said someone.

"Nah—I find it to be annoying, but I suppose since Ayase-san chose her anyway…"

"My… what's their relationship at?"

Then the crowds started to talk about them.

"So—I hope you're all entertained enough, yeah? Now let us all talk about vision and mission!" Nozomi said as she glanced at Eli,

"Ayase-san, would you like me to say it for you? I don't mind to do it at all!"

"V-Vision and Mission? I didn't even prepare for that!" Eli replied,

"Oh—stop being too modest! I know you did! You've worked it up all night! We talked on the phone yesterday!" Nozomi said.

"You don't even know my—…"

And before Eli finished, Nozomi turned her attention back to the audience and said loudly,

"…As what Ayase-san stated, she doesn't want this school to see one and another above each other— she doesn't want us to become a team that's led by a leader, but instead, a team who work hard for each other. It's not about reaching the same goal—it's about spending our youth for each of our own missions in life!"

The audience seems to be amazed by how Nozomi smoothly brought herself on the stage, smoothly and flawlessly–and the fact that she didn't even practice for it…just like Eli herself…

"Let's admit it, reaching a goal to graduate means nothing if you don't gear yourself up with an ability of your own! An ability that will be your weapon to deal with life as adults! All the certificates that we earn from this school will also mean nothing if we don't know what we aim for! So let us all stop thinking about 'how can we graduate' but instead, think about 'what exactly I want to do in the future?' and thus, if you all choose Ayase-san here to be the president, she will surely provide you all the facilities for what you need to sharpen up!"

"Afraid not, my friends, because you know—we all know that Ayase-san and I will work together! Her and I will be the most perfect team ever! But that won't do as much as you all and us working together— because after all, this school is meant for you and I!"

Nozomi continued with her speech as the audience began to hype up. Eli sighed heavily and realized that there's no way for her to not be chosen as the president at this rate, with all the enthusiasm given by the students and with the promotion poster that she didn't even post herself—and the fact that she is a recommended candidate….

When Eli set her eyes to the audience, she noticed something is wrong with the representative on the other side of stage, the one that Nozomi pointed out before. She may not be able to feel it, but she could see something hanging upon her—an extremely transparent soul that she barely sees with her eyes, and to make sure of that sight, Eli quickly moves her sight toward the student council representative across her.

Though as swift as it is, the extremely transparent soul is no longer visible to her.

* * *

Afterschool, Otonokizaka Hallway;

Eli walked down the stairs, there is nothing more disappointing than what happened on the stage just now. She could just make things bad and no one will choose her instead of trying to ruin things by using other's—like Nozomi for instance. Because apparently, Nozomi just made her name look greater than it sounds, especially in the promotional poster that the principal posted.

As the blonde kept rushing out of the school, Nozomi kept running after her and once again embraced her by her arm,

"Ayase-sann!" she said cheerfully.

"What now? Going to ruin more of my day?" Eli said coldly,

"Sheesh! I'm just here to stick with you… like I said, I'll be your ghost repellant until you reach your safe zone!"

"The only one I want to repel is you, Nozomi. Seriously…. I really hate you!" Eli said.

"You just called mr by my name, that's a good step… are you taking me as your friend now?" Nozomi said.

"Shut up! It doesn't mean anything!"

"It is something! Now since you called me by my name, I should start calling you by your name too…" Nozomi replied,

Eli sighed heavily,

"Will you ever listen to me?"

"I'm all ears for you, uh…uhm…Ericchi!"

"Ericchi?!" Eli stopped in her shock,

"Yep! Ericchi!"

"Sheesh! What kind of name is that?!"

"It's cute! Now you're my Ericchi and I'm your Nozomi, got it?"

"Why does that sounded like we are in a close relationship or something?"

"Ha! So you do know something about romance! Not bad, Ericchi!"

"I'm not even talking about romance! I'm talking about best friends!"

"Whatever! Anyway, Ericchi! You should be careful on this from now on, I just looked into my cards and it says, our path will not be as smooth as it is…"

"Your card?! Sheesh! You are driving me crazy! Why do you even believe in cards?!"

"It's not just a card, you know! It's my spiritual power that you should acknowledge! I'm predicting the future through my cards!"

"Just—leave me alone, Nozomi! I don't want to argue about it!"

"I will! Once you reach your house!"

"I can walk on my own!" Eli walks faster as she tried to shove Nozomi away, yet her grip is stronger than she thought, even though she couldn't feel any pain from it.

As the two almost reached the school's front gate, a student council member— the representative that they had suspicion on, came up and crossed her arms over her chest…

"You are Ayase Eli, correct?" she said,

"Yes! What now?" Eli replied coldly,

"I'm just here to remind you, even though you're recommended candidate, there's still a way for you to lose this… so don't get too cocky!" she said.

"What on shattering earth are you trying to tell me… I don't even want to be a candidate!"

"….and you still think your act this noon doesn't describe your true intention? You're clearly trying to win everyone's hearts over…"

"That wasn't even my intention!" Eli complained,

"Just surrender, Ayase, I'm not going to let anyone take the seat. I will be the next president and no one can stop me!" the student council said,

"Pfffft… with that kind of attitude, no wonder that you might have to play some dirty tricks to win against Ericchi!" Nozomi said.

"N-Nozomi!" Eli tried to stop her, though Nozomi ignored her.

"It's fine, Ericchi! I know you will win this at ease, let's ignore this old-hag and keep moving. She doesn't even know if she is no longer worthy to be around this school!"

"Old hag?!" The student council frowned as she heard it,

"Nozomi…. Why are you being so pumped up about me being the student council president…."Eli sighed,

"Because I think it should be yours… we can gain full access of this school if you are one—plus, you honored me to be your vice president…."

"That's not even what I wanted from dragging you to the stage before!"

Nozomi chuckled,

"Oh you don't need to be shy, Ericchi! I know you are just being humble! So let's put that aside and work our best to beat the old-hag…"

Eli rolled her eyes,

"Whatever…. I'm out of here now. I don't have any more time to spend…" she said as she moved faster—and Nozomi still insisted to follow her.

"Sheesh! Ericchi! You should have fun sometimes!" Nozomi said as she walks next to her.

"What's the fun in clashing with randomly people? I don't understand you!" Eli replied.

The student council representative frowned deeper,

"You don't even bother to know my name…." she whispered as she watches them walk into the distance.

Afternoon, Silent Apartment's Hallway;

Eli and Nozomi walked all the way up until they reached Eli's Room. When the door came in contact with their views, Nozomi released her embrace,

"There, you are save now, Ericchi!"

Eli remained quiet as she unlocked the door,

"Ah—I'll have to renew your room's seal, I can feel it weakening!" Nozomi continued.

Eli sighed weakly before she opened the door and gestured Nozomi to come in.

Nozomi smiled before she ran in without hesitation and started her ritual in front of the charms that she attached around the room. Eli watched her with a slight smirk on her face, though after a while, her expression began to soften as she looks at Nozomi's passion when renewing the seals.

 _I wonder_ _…._

The blonde thought,

 _Why is she doing all this for me? I wasn_ _'_ _t even a friend when she started doing it_ _…_

She continued.

 _Is that sort of her hobby?_

She continued again as her eyes keep staring into the purplenette.

 _Maybe…_ _. I may as well ask_ _…._

She said to herself before she walks into the room and closes the door—which surprises Nozomi and makes her pause for a moment from what she was doing,

"Why don't you stay here for a while?" Eli said.

Nozomi remained still. She felt slightly flustered from Eli's offer…

"It's fine if you don't have enough time, you can go when you are done…." Eli continued.

"Ah—!" Nozomi lifted her eyebrows,

"No… that's not it…." Nozomi said.

The two were left in an awkward silence.

"Just finish your thing and let me know what you think… I'll be waiting in my bedroom…" Eli said as she quickly walks away.

Nozomi was about to say something, but decided to not say anything else—knowing that she needs to finish her ritual first.

After a while,

Nozomi finished her ritual and she decided to walk to the bedroom—just like what Eli told her. She was about to knock the door politely, but…

 _Why am I acting all polite all of a_ _sudden?_

She thought.

 _I_ _'_ _ve been entering her place without permission all this time_ _…_ _there_ _'_ _s no need of me to do this!_

She said to her mind before she opened the door immediately.

"Ericchi—I'm done!" Nozomi barged in—to see Eli about to wear her top. Her bra is a pure white color and her skin almost rivaled it.

"N-Nozomi!" Eli frowned,

"Woah—Ericchi, your skin is so smooth!" Nozomi said right after she realized that she came in at the wrong time.

"That's not even the right thing to say—Silly!" Eli yelled at her,

"Hehehe… joking, joking….but I'm telling the truth, your skin looks so smooth! I'm jealous!" Nozomi said as she closed the door.

"Why are you even entering?! You should've said something else and leave!"

"You don't need to be shy, Ericchi, we both are girls. I could make it fair by stripping right in front of you now!" the playful girl said as she sat down on the nearby chair and watches the blonde continue to wear her top.

"What?! I don't need that!" Eli replied,

"…besides, why do you even get comfortable so quickly… don't you feel ashamed that you're being impolite to me?"

"You could do that to me later, I'm living alone…so it would be nice to have this kind of surprise…." Nozomi replied.

Eli sighed and she rolled her eyes before she picks up her uniform and throws it into the laundry basket, then headed to the bathroom and closes the door tight.

 _I know I_ _'_ _m being unfair now_ _…_

Nozomi said in her mind.

… _I mean_ _…_ _maybe I am being unfair_ _…_ _because of my sexual orientation_ _…_ _I would use this excuses to make people let me feast my own eyes_ _…_

She continued again,

 _Will people let me touch them if I said the same excuses? I mean_ _…_ _will they think it as a joke or sexual harassment?_

She thought again as she watches the door to the bathroom—which opened after a few minutes.

Eli came out with her face looks slightly fresher, wet front hairs, towel hanging on her shoulder and slight stain of water around the collar.

"Listen, Nozomi…." she started,

Nozomi keep looking at her,

"…I have three things that I want to talk about with you…." she continued.

"Go on then…." Nozomi replied.

"First…. I want you to be honest with me, why are you helping me with the seals around my house?" she asked,

"It's just something that I wanted to do for you… I want to be your friend so I want to protect you…." Nozomi replied.

Eli nodded,

"I see… then, let's just move on to the second topic…"

"What is it, Ericchi?"

"Tell me, do you know anything about the reason, why I want to spend my time in this school?" the blonde asked,

"No… but why do you assume me to know something?"

"I just thought about it because you said 'if I become a student council president, I will gain full access of the school…' …. There's something about that, you know…."

"Now that you mention it, what is this something?" Nozomi asked back.

"I don't think I want to tell you yet…. That's why I want to talk about the third topic…" Eli said.

"What's the third topic?" Nozomi asked,

"Please, I'm asking you humbly to not be comfortable with me…"

"…and why is that?" Nozomi asked curiously,

"….when you said, 'we both are girls, there's nothing to be shy of…' as you saw me shirtless…. did you know, that it doesn't work that way for me?"

Nozomi lifted her eyebrow in surprise,

"…does that mean, you're actually—….."

"You may call me, a lesbian… when I said I wasn't interested in having a lover before was a lie… I am interested, but in females… I doubt you will understand…" Eli said.

The room suddenly becomes awkwardly too quiet for a moment until Nozomi suddenly burst into laughter. Eli smirked with a frown on her face as she watches her,

"I'm serious, you know! You better leave me alone before I fall for you!" the blonde yelled,

Yet Nozomi just keeps laughing endlessly.

"Nozomi!" once again, the blonde tried to stop her from laughing.

"S-Sorry! Ericchi! Th-this is just too funny!" she replied.

"Whatever! I've warned you! I'm not going to speak anymore of that!" Eli said again as she crossed her arms and sits down on her bed.

Nozomi keeps laughing loudly until she started to cough—then she started to look for a nearby drink. She sighted Eli's water bottle on top of the cupboard and immediately took it and gulped it down without asking.

Eli sighed heavily and just shook her head at her.

"I'm sorry….Ericchi…." Nozomi said before she paused to catch her breath.

Eli remained quiet as she looks out the window,

"…but…seriously…. Do you have to talk so seriously about it?" Nozomi continued,

The blonde only respond with a silent smirk on her face,

"You're not the only one, you know…" Nozomi said with a soft smile,

Eli turned her sight to the other girl in surprise,

"Me too…. Ericchi… I'm the same as you…."

* * *

The next day, Otonokizaka HighSchool's yard;

It's time for them to be in sports study session, Eli and Nozomi stood next to each other as they waited for their turn to run a few laps. While they were waiting patiently, they watched each of the girls around them….

"…..Hey, Nozomi, what do you think of that one?" Eli asked with a whisper as her eyes hinted towards a specific girl,

"Hmmm…. Good looking, but, don't you think she doesn't have that much asset?"

"The size looks decent…"

"Sheesh, Ericchi, it's clearly because she wears the sponge stuffed bra…you need to get your facts straight…"

"How do you even know that?"

"The shape, of course, take a look at mine—you will know how big breasts shape should look like…"

Eli began to check out Nozomi's torso,

"W-Wow!"

"Don't act like you have never see it in this size! Yours aren't that small either—or actually, yours looks almost as decent!"

"Well, I have never actually see my own… my mirror only fits my face and I don't check out myself on any public places recently..."

"Ah! No wonder! But your body looks great, you know, you look like a dancer!" Nozomi said,

Eli averted her eyes for a moment, then faintly smiles at her,

"I was a dancer…." She said with a gloom on her face,

Knowing that it probably was a sensitive topic, Nozomi tried to quickly look for a way to recover their conversation,

"A-ah! That's nice! I was a girl who liked spending my days in front of the television, that's how I got these chubby cheeks!" she said,

Eli raised her eyebrows,

"But your body doesn't look that bad…did you do something else than watch tv all day?"

"Yup! I've been helping out in a lot of shrines around Japan! But in the other countries, since they don't always have shrines, I often went around shopping or hiking…"

"You've explored more than one country….?"

"Yep! I used to be in your home country too! It's Russia, right?"

"Yes…" Eli replied with enthusiasm.

"It's a cold place, so people love to drink booze to keep their body warm… I wasn't allowed by my parents even though the country doesn't have the restriction for it, I have always been educated as a Japanese…"

"It's just like fresh water to us… but maybe it doesn't taste that good for those who're not used to it."

"You have drank it before?"

"Of course, but I'm no longer allowed to here because this country has an age restriction for drinking… "

"My…have you done anything else that might be not allowed in our ages…?"

"Huh? No…?"

"It's fine to be a rebel on a few aspects, you know…"

"Are we still talking about drinking?"

"Nope, we can put that aside since— I bet the temperature's here don't get as cold as how it would there… you don't need them. Instead, there should be something else that could keep our bodies warm…."

"Our bodies…warm…?" Eli tilts her head slightly until she realizes….

"N-Nozomi! Are you hinting it?!"

Nozomi giggled,

"Sheesh, Ericchi! How are we going to feast our rebellious desires other than that?"

"Look, Nozomi… I know we both are in the same boat, but—that doesn't mean you can just date me straight ahead! We need to get to know and see if we fall for each other or not—just like how straight people do!"

"Well, are you not interested in me yet? I'm interested in you!"

"Being interested doesn't mean to go on a date immediately, that would be too shallow to call it love…"

"But the point of dating is to get to know each other…you don't have to love each other…"

"Dating is only when you are ready to marry—silly! We can get to know each other by hanging out or something!"

"Then what do you want to do after school?"

"Study some student councils things…since I decided to be part of it, I'll just go with it…"

"Sounds fun, then I'll stick around with you…"

"Didn't you always stick around with me though?!"

"You're right, Ericchi! My… I like how you give me that much attention…"

"Only because you are forcing me to give you that much attention!"

Nozomi giggled again before the teacher called their names,

"Ayase Eli! Toujou Nozomi!"

"Yes?" the two replied together.

"Take your position… we're starting soon…" the teacher said.

"Yes—Sensei!" the two replied together again before they quickly stood up to take their positions.

As the two were set in place…

"Ericchi…this is fate…." Nozomi said,

Eli sighed heavily and rolled her eyes,

"If your eyes meet a chicken, you probably would call that as a fate too…"

"I'd cross the road with it!" Nozomi replied playfully.

Eli couldn't help herself but to snort, though just before she could respond, the teacher shouted,

"Ready—!"

Everyone began to focus.

"—Set!"

They set their position,

"Go!"

And everyone began to sprint through the track. There are five of them, and Eli took the lead immediately after they started. Knowing how fast the blonde is, Nozomi decided to make the best out of her as well to catch up with her.

Without words coming out of their mouths, the two stare intensely into each other's eyes while their feet kept them running—trying to pace up with the other,

Without them knowing, they both have passed a half lap faster than the other three—which they didn't even bother to acknowledge.

Currently they are all in their own minds…putting their goals above each other.

As the time passes—the two finally reached their last lap,

"This will decide who is the hottest!" Nozomi said.

"I rather call as the coolest!" Eli replied.

The finish line is getting closer and closer…

"…whoever wins, the other should respect them because we both brought some heavy load…"

"Heavy load?" Eli flustered,

And before she knew it, Nozomi suddenly started to slow down…

Then when Eli realizes she reached the finish line first, Nozomi grabs both of Eli's breasts and squeezes it roughly.

"Congratulations Ericchi! You won the coolest girl competition!" Nozomi shouted,

"Nozomiii!" Eli shouted,

The teachers and the other students began to fluster as they watched them,

"Curse you! You're going to pay for that!" Eli yelled as she quickly turns around and started to grab Nozomi's breast as well.

"Hyaaaa—Ericchi! That's rough!" Nozomi moaned somewhat erotically,

"Y-You don't need to make it sound like that, silly!" Eli complained as she started to twist her breast.

"Aaaaahhhnn! So good and yet painful!" Nozomi grips on Eli's breast,

"N-Nozomiii! S-Stop it!"

And yet the two continues….

Meanwhile, further away from them, a little girl with black hair watched them being the center of attention.

"Sheesh… why don't they just get a room already…" she whispered to herself.

* * *

Lunch Break, Otonokizaka High School's Rooftop;

Nozomi and Eli decided to spend their time together on the rooftop—with the two of them bringing their own lunch boxes.

"Ericchi, Ericchi…. are you ready to look at my lunch box today?!"

"Is this Mystery-X food again?" Eli asked teasingly,

"My! You just teased me! You didn't do that before!" Nozomi replied.

"Hah— just because I don't say anything, doesn't mean that I never pay attention… the last meal was awful and I know that!"

"I'm pretty sure this time I made better lunch!" Nozomi said as she opened her lunch box, filled with almost neat eggs, almost neat rice ball, and almost well cooked meat.

Eli smirked and then chuckled slightly,

"Well…it indeed does look better….but I doubt you made a better taste…"

"I'm going to try it now!" Nozomi said as she took out her chopsticks and lifted the egg—which clearly has a blackened surface on the lower side.

Eli widen her eyes, then swiftly caught Nozomi's hand before she was able to put the food inside her mouth,

"Nozomi!"

"W-what's wrong all of a sudden, Ericchi?!" Nozomi asked.

"Put that down, you're not allowed to eat it…" the blonde said,

"E-eh?! Then how can I taste it if I'm not allowed to eat it?"

"I know it's terrible just by looking at it. You blackened the lower surface—you're using too much heat!"

"Huh? Really? I thought it went well…" Nozomi tried to take a peek on the lower part— it is indeed blackened horribly. Nozomi pouted at it, though she couldn't say anything to respond to her.

"Throw that away, you shouldn't eat blackened stuff like that…It's very bad for your health…" Eli said.

Nozomi remain quiet, she seemed to be very sad about it.

"Come on, just throw that away…" the blonde once again said as she takes Nozomi's lunch box and picks out the egg—and realized that the rice also looks somewhat raw….

"N-Nozomi! T-the rice isn't even well cooked!"

"E-Eh…? W-well…I suppose 5 minutes is a big deal after all..."

"It is a big deal!" Eli yelled,

"I—I don't have much time to prepare and cook all by myself in the morning!"

"Wake up earlier!"

"It's not that easy, you know! The bed is so fluffy and it's like the gravitation gets a lot stronger!"

"Excuses…" Eli said.

"Pfffft! I can't wake up earlier than 5 AM!"

"5…AM?" Eli tilts her head slightly,

"Yep! I woke up at 5 AM, then got ready for school and headed to the shrine before school…"

"Why are you going to the shrine before school?"

"It's very important to keep my spiritual power, Ericchi! Else the spirits won't fear me and I might end up like you!"

"Alright, fine, then you want to tell me that you are…what?"

"I don't have that much time to make my lunchbox perfect! I still have to make my own breakfast as well!"

"Then why don't you just make the same menu along with your breakfast? It's not going to take that much time!"

"I'll get bored if I make the same menu…"

Eli sighed heavily at her.

"Anyway, since I'm only left with meat now—…."

And before Nozomi could finish speaking, Eli began to check the meat…trying to identify it from the texture and smell…

"This is pork! You can't eat it half raw!"

"Eeehh? But whyyy?"

"It's very bad for your health! Sheesh! Just throw everything away!"

"Why are you suddenly being too talkative about this?"

"I-it doesn't matter! Sheesh! I wonder how you are still alive with this kind of food every day!"

"I don't always make my lunch, you know. I usually just buy it off the supermarket nearby!"

"The food from the supermarket?! Really?! They are expensive and not that healthy either!"

"Then what am I supposed to do, 'Professor' Ericchi?!" Nozomi said sarcastically,

"You can ask me to make your lunch….and share my lunch for today…." Eli replied as she crossed her arms, letting her face become a shade of red.

Nozomi wasn't able to respond to that, but she was very impressed with the way Eli made her point in the end.

"If that's the case…then…" Nozomi leaned closer to the shy Russian beauty,

"…will you share with me today….?" She continued,

Eli nodded slightly and she opened her lunch box—filled with neatly served Russian cuisine that Nozomi has seen before…

"Fried Rice?"

"We called it Plov…" Eli replied as she handed a spoon to Nozomi.

Nozomi remained quiet until she decided to take her first pick, though when she digs into the rice, she noticed a few diced meat and vegetables which she decided to make another pick with the spoon.

As the food enters her mouth….

She couldn't describe how wonderful and unique the taste is…

The first thing that escaped her lips is…

"It tastes like Russian!"

"W-What!? W-What do you mean by it tastes like Russian!? It is a Russian food but if you say it like that…."

"What? Do you mean that it sounded like I'm eating a Russian?"

"Yes!"

"Kinky! I would like to try that though…"

"W-what?! I didn't even mean it in a kinky way!"

"Ahh—Ericchi, this Plov tastes so great…I love it!" Nozomi said before she took another bite.

"Don't change the subject so quickly!"

"Come on eat it with me, Ericchi! Let's race!"

"We don't race when eating food, silly! And... This is my lunch, you goof!"

* * *

After the lunch break,

The two returned to their class and noticed that there's a crowd in front of their classroom.

"What happen here?" Eli asked one of her classmates,

"Ah—Eli, looks like you made quite an enemy here…." She said.

Eli lifted her eyebrow—flustered. When she got closer, she noticed a few seniors standing around her seat.

With a few patches of wood on the cracked floor, trash scattered around her seat, seems like it came from the garbage can that one of the senior's held in her hand, and then lastly a bottle of soda on a familiar person's hand—which she poured over Eli's bag.

She knows well as to what's exactly going on...

Nozomi has never witnessed anything like this, though knowing who the victim is for such an act, she couldn't help but to come up and stand up for her friend,

"Hey! What do you think you are doing?" Nozomi said immediately.

The Seniors seemed to be bothered,

"Now, are you trying to scold us? You're just an underclassman…"

"Who cares about my age at this rate, you're doing something that displays the arrogance of seniors…For whatever reason— this kind of thing is not right! Plus, Ericchi didn't even do anything to you, other than ignore you of course!" Nozomi replied bravely.

"So you are…what…? Challenging us?" The senior asked her intimidatingly.

"No, there's no point in me to challenge you. I'm not someone who holds the power in this school…"

Then the seniors laugh at her.

"I'm just saying that I know my place better than you… and to put it fairly, in the real world, your age means nothing—but your attitude means everything…. so if you think you can do anything you want just because you're older then you are greatly mistaken!" Nozomi frowned,

The seniors stopped, then they started to look at each other until one decided to speak up,

"Don't you know who you're protecting? She is the one who shows the most arrogance…"

"…her arrogant attitude didn't make other's suffer on purpose. She decides to ignore you because she doesn't want to hurt you more than you are. ..she could speak up by herself if she wants to…. Right Ericchi?" Nozomi said as she turned her face to the blonde who stood there watching Nozomi talking flawlessly.

As she realizes that Nozomi was talking to her, she nodded surely,

"I have to say, these people are just mindlessly arrogant. This kind of bullying is what I want to be up against…" Eli said.

The classmates began to whispers—they seemed to be on Eli's side.

The seniors began to worry,

"…for whatever reason, bullying is wrong…and if I happen to be the student council president, I surely will not tolerate it…" Eli said.

Nozomi seemed to be slightly surprised by how Eli promotes herself for the upcoming election. But what surprised her most is when suddenly felt something leave from the seniors—something that she could describe as a soothed soul leaving from their host.

Then at instant, the big group of seniors suddenly fell down to the ground except for one specific person that they knew before the incident. The Student council representative….

"H-hurry! Call the medics!" said one of the students before some group of girls started ran off to do so.

"Hmm… now that it turns out like this…." Eli crosses her arm as she watches the scene play out in front of her.

"I think the principal will know…." she continued.

"…and that means, she will also need to know about what you did to her…." Nozomi added.

"…the entire class watched this happen… right?" Eli said as she looked at her classmates, who seems to be still on her side.

"It's true, even though Eli is arrogant, she has never done anything like this…" said one of the girls.

"…she might be not a cool person to hang out with, but she is a cool person to work with…." Said the other.

"Yeah…and for whatever reason, this kind of bullying is immature, don't you think? We're no longer in elementary school…." said another again.

Then a moment later, a teacher came by and she immediately eyed the huge crowd in front go the classroom,

"What's happening here…?" she asked,

Then she immediately focuses on the seniors among the unconscious one.

"T-That's….." The student council started to lose her words.

* * *

After School, The Otonokizaka Hallway;

Nozomi and Eli left the classroom with somewhat an excited mood. Eli's seat has been cleaned by the school's janitor and the seniors have been taken care of.

"Ericchi! Don't you just feel glad that justice could fall upon them?" Nozomi asked,

"Not that I care. As long as she leaves me alone, I'm happy…" Eli replied.

"Sheesh! Ericchi, you need to care about what happens to your enemies—I mean, what if they prepare another weapon?"

"I don't even think her as enemy, I just don't want to bother of thinking about anyone else other than myself…"

"Hmm…really? But the first time you met me, you bothered yourself to think about me…."

"S-shut up!" Eli replied somewhat nervously.

"Come to think of it, you are interested in me, aren't you? So we should go on a date to see how much we match each other…"

"I don't need useless dates!"

"Ooh—so you think we are already a perfect match?"

"I never said that!"

"You said that in your mind!"

"I'm leaving!" Eli yelled as she walks faster while Nozomi followed up as always, though as the two almost reached the school yard, they could hear someone call them,

"Ayase-san! Toujou-san!" said a woman's voice. The two turned their sight to see the student council called them.

Then the student council run to approach them,

"Ayase-san, Toujou-san… can we take a bit of your time?" she asked.

"What for?" Eli asked.

"Ooohh! So are we going to talk about student council stuff?" Nozomi asked.

"I guess it's pretty obvious, but…we do really need you two to solve this case… the principal said so…" the student council said.

"Is she trying to throw every single problem on me…." Eli sighed.

"I have to admit, we all heard from your classmates that you stand for your own against the bullying that our now-an-ex-member did, the principal is impressed and she wanted you to solve the after-case as well…"

"Can't you all do it instead?" Eli asked.

"We'll be honest. It's our last year to be part of the student council but we were never able to solve this case…. There's too much mystery in it…"

As Nozomi heard the word 'mystery', she could feel something spark in her heart…

"Then, we will get it done!" she said.

"N-Nozomi!" Eli tried to protest.

"Don't worry, there's nothing Ericchi and I can't solve when we are together! We're a perfect couple!"

The student council giggles,

"I see… I'm glad to see that enthusiasm, Toujou-san…" she said.

Eli couldn't help herself at this point, she can only place her palm on her own face.

"Please come with me…." the student council continued with a faint relieved smile.

* * *

The student council room;

As the two were seated on the reserved chair, a group of student council members seemed to be very busy on preparing something while Principal Minami stood there to guide them. Nozomi and Eli were confused but they are expecting that everything will be in their favor…

"So... Are we getting anything?" Nozomi asked playfully.

"A new job, obviously…" Eli sighed along with her whisper.

"Oh-come on, Ericchi! It will be fun!" Nozomi said to the blonde with a playful tone.

"…just imagine the mystery we're going to solve! I bet you will be into it!"

"Or…more like, forced to be into it, because you're dragging me there…"

"It's not going to be bad. Trust me!" Nozomi said with her cheerful and enthusiastic smile.

"See?" Eli smirked,

"Don't be such a spoilsport, Ericchi… the fun is guaranteed…"

Before Eli could respond again, the principal coughed to get their attention,

"Yes, Principal?" Nozomi asked.

"I hope you know about this school's history…?" The principal asked.

"Of course, my grandmother was here… I've listened to her story…" Eli replied,

"Of course you do… but I was asking Toujou…" the Principal said.

"Oh? Me? Not a chance… I just happened to stumble onto this place…" Nozomi replied.

"It's started about over a hundred year ago, the school was basically built specially for female-students only as a sign that Japan has finally allowed females to receive the same education level as males did in that time… the school was firstly founded by—….." Eli began to tell the history to Nozomi, which caused the purplenette to slowly feel drowsy out of boredom. Even though it amazed the student councils as they have never seen anyone capable of telling the story in detail as much as her, but even then, they can't do it either.

"Putting that aside, Ericchi…."

"I haven't even finished half way!" Eli said.

"Uhhhm…. Ayase, I'm impressed that you know it in that much detail…"

"I told you, my grandmother was here…" Eli replied.

"I….I see…. but anyway, the point is, because of the history, the school itself also keeps a lot of mysteries…." The principal said,

"From the mystery of missing and spirited away people to the the breaking and destructive souls that possess students, no one actually believes it even though it keeps happening almost everyday…right?" Eli said.

The principal seemed to be more impressed.

"Yes…." She said.

"Then to clarify this… the student council we just fired today…" Principal Minami continued,

"…was possessed by one of the destructive souls and you want us to do something about it?" Nozomi asked enthusiastically.

"Oh dear… That's what I was afraid to hear…." Eli sighed.

"Yes…Toujou-san…" the student council member confirmed.

"We need your help if you can do something about it…." the principal said.

"….it will be an honor, Principal! Me and Ericchi will solve it, if we happen to gain full access to the school!"

"Why are you dragging me into this….." Eli sighed heavily.

* * *

 **I suppose most of my readers (and my editor) is in their school time, ye? Final Exam? I hope for the best! Good luck for you all!**

 **I'll be working on the fiction in my free time too. I got plenty of work around the house and still trying to make portfolio to get an actual job, so that's why things are being slow lately.**

 **but i really enjoy making this fiction...other than because its NozoEli, it's because the story is quite good for this month's mood! Hopefully i could finish it before the month ends so you can enjoy it at the actual Halloween!**


	3. Ch3: Merciless One

**Sorry for the long delay,**

 **it seemed that my editor is super busy. Please forgive her.**

 **Thanks for reviews/comment/faves!**

* * *

Midnight, at the Otonokizaka Highschool;

Once again, the two are together and this time, with their brand new title and a bundle of keys that were recently added to their inventory, Nozomi and Eli explored the dark and quiet school with only a pair of flashlight and a reserved emergency lamp in their bag. Eli seemed to be extremely tense while Nozomi appeared to be enthusiastic as she leads the way.

"Sheesh…going to school in the middle of the night, you sure are crazy…." Eli complained.

"Oh Ericchi, I thought you already adapted to your sixth sense…" Nozomi replied as she kept on maneuvering through the hallway. While walking Eli caught a glimpse of a shining white light—which somewhat looked like a human soul passing by, from behind the window and across the classroom.

"Seeing those creatures at night is different from seeing them in the daylight…."

"They just glow in the dark, like glow sticks…" Nozomi said as she also caught the similar glimpse of the white light across the classroom.

"Either way, why are we here now…?" Eli asked.

"It's the best way to look for clues, Ericchi. With a lot of people and the chance of that specific person that possessed by that specific soul, I doubt we can find anything!"

"Do you think this will make it any better? I mean… everyone says that this kind of hours are the hours for souls to come out of their hiding!"

"What are you talking about, Ericchi? You've seen it yourself that they always exist even during the daylight, it's just that they look more visible at night! Plus, if you're talking about special hours, let me tell you that usually, at 4:44 AM, a demon will hunt for souls and prey on living beings!

"Why is it 4:44 AM, does it has something to do with how 'four' could also mean 'death' if written differently in Kanji…?"

"Not really, they just like that hour. Ever since someone made up that story, plenty of people tried to dare themselves to go around and be eaten…"

"So you're still serious about demons eating living souls!"

"Did I say that I was joking?"

Eli sighed heavily as she heard the purplenette respond innocently.

"Let's just make sure we finished before 4 AM…." Eli said.

"Don't worry Ericchi, they won't eat you as long as you're not trying to be dumb like those people who went and dared themselves… they're pretty negotiable and smart, you know!"

"Now you sound like you did make some kind of negotiation with them…"

"Trust me, I did. That's how I said that they're pretty negotiable…"

"What did you even negotiate with them…."

"Hmm…sparing my life…?"

Eli stopped for a moment to look at her weirdly before she let out a heavy sigh and continue after Nozomi.

"It's your life… why do you need to make a deal for it to be spared? You can survive on your own..." Eli said.

"There are times when we have to admit that we cannot win, Ericchi…"

Eli smirked slightly,

"I'd rather give up than live with shame…"

"I'll be a lot more ashamed if I give up… "

"Tell me more about it then… what are you even doing to get yourself into that kind of trouble?" Eli asked.

"It's a spiritual experience, hard to explain… especially to someone like you…." Nozomi replied.

"I'll listen…promise…." Eli said.

Nozomi stopped immediately as she heard it,

"My, Ericchi… Are you that curious?" she smiled at her teasingly.

"Just tell me already…" Eli said as she keeps moving along side with the purplenette.

Nozomi remained quiet and she looked away from her,

"I'm a little tired from the search, should we go sit somewhere for a while?" she asked with a sweet smile.

* * *

Past-Midnight, Otonokizaka Highschool rooftop;

The two sat on the rooftop as they stared into the deep blue night sky, the moon was hidden behind the thick clouds yet the stars shone brightly over them.

The blonde remain silent as she waited for the purplenette to start.

After about ten minutes of quietness….

"It was not long before I decided to stay here without my parents…" Nozomi started,

The azure eyed girl turns her sight to her,

"I was a curious lonely girl…without friends, without anyone to talk with…."

"How come? You look like someone who can easily make friends…"

"You are the first friend I made… believe it or not…" Nozomi said.

Eli lifted her eyebrows,

"You surely have a bad sense of people then. From all the people around the world, to choose me as a friend is a horrible choice…"

"We're similar in a way, that's why I think we should be friends…"

"Just because of that? Ridiculous…"

"Don't you want people to understand you?" Nozomi asked,

Eli remained quiet, unable to respond,

"….for me, I want people to understand me, just like how I want to understand you…" Nozomi continued yet Eli didn't look too intrigued.

"I really want people to understand why I put barriers around me… I also want people to understand why I keep my distance… so–…"

"We are different…" Eli cuts in.

Nozomi widens her eyes in surprise,

"besides… I don't think that's even related to what I asked you before…unless all you're trying to say is that being lonely and without friends, is what makes you do something stupid…" Eli continued again coldly.

Nozomi couldn't think of a coherent response. It is exactly what she thought to say to her.

"If I was you… I will never forgive myself…and I will live with hate towards myself. I don't want anyone to understand me, I don't want anyone to befriend me, and I don't want anyone to try…." Eli continued cold heartedly.

Nozomi was still frozen in place, she tried to see if Eli was possessed but from the look in her eyes there was no hint of a soul inside her, this person she is talking with, is the genuine Ayase Eli known to her.

"…and if you're trying to say that being friends with me is your way of yourself trying to change, then let me tell you once more that you've made the poorest decision. You will find nothing from me… nothing at all…" Eli continued.

Something clicked inside the purple haired girl's head as soon as the blonde finished talking.

"….Is it really nothing…or are you just trying to hide something from me?"

Eli widens her eyes as she heard Nozomi responded calmly.

"I said, there's nothing you can find within me… you know nothing about me— don't just make guesses out of nowhere!" Eli retorted,

"….did you make this 'stupid decision' like me back then…? Making a dealing with a demon and all…?"

"No! I don't even know what you're talking about! I don't deal with them! I've never felt any spiritual experience in my entire life and I've never wish to! You're just dragging me around and making me do all these stupid things!"

"You know, Ericchi…. if someone completely didn't want to do this… they could've insisted on not coming before night fall… Yet here you are…and I believe you intentionally waited for me after we got out of school… an average person would run away and return the next day, pretending that they never had a friend like me before…." Nozomi replied again with all of her calmness while Eli started to feel agitated,

"I-It just that I want to do a favor for you… and then here you are playing the know-it-all person…." Eli countered,

"My guess was only based on what I would feel if i were in your shoes…" Nozomi said.

"I'm not you…. You're not me…."

"You can deny all you want, but you know it yourself that what I said is true…" Nozomi continued again,

"Can you stop trying to think that I'm like you? We're not the same and we will never be!" Eli stated clearly.

"Why is it so hard for you to just admit it? The more defensive you are, the harder I will try to make you tell me everything…"

"You're the one who is supposed to explain yourself! We're here to talk about you! Not me!"

"You insisted, and I'm willing to tell you, but I want you to tell me a bit of yourself as well to make it fair…"

"Do you have to annoy me with your judgments for that?"

"You don't like being judged, yet you also judged everyone else…"

"How could you say that out of nowhere?"

"By saying that you don't want anyone to approach you, it's like saying that everyone will attack you so you prefer to do everything on your own…even though it will also make you feel burdened…"

"It's not that I'm just trying to protect myself, I just feel better that way!"

"You feel better because you think that no one will attack you if you're alone! Just admit it!"

"What exactly do you want from me, huh? We've been spinning your words around into a useless argument…" Eli started to raise her voice higher,

"I want you to understand me… and I want you to let me understand you!"

"To let you understand me? Impossible! That will never happen because you just can't understand me at all!"

"Then why can't you try and explain it to me? I want to know about you! I want to be your friend!"

Eli sighed heavily again before she stood up from her place,

"It will never happen… we just never fit each other from the very beginning… find someone else to be your friend!" she continued as she walks off to the door.

"Do you really think you can make any real friends with that attitude?" Nozomi shouted loudly,

"…and what about you? Do you think anyone will like you?" Eli responded again,

Nozomi remained quiet, she couldn't be so sure of what to say to counter that. She knows well that she didn't do that good in making friends—also because she knows that someone like Eli is inside her as well.

"…let's be realistic… if you really are someone who is capable of understanding me, then you will know why a person like me shouldn't try to make friends…."

"Is it because you're scared to hurt others more than you hurt yourself?" Nozomi asked which brought Eli to be surprise again, though she frowned at her after…

"I don't even care about others!"

"Liar, you care a lot about others and you pretend that you're not hurt... you're just ignoring your own wounds!"

"It still doesn't kill me, so who cares? Even if it will, I don't care!" Eli stated before walking through the doors, leaving it open as she started to disappear into the darkness with her flashlight.

"Ericchi! Don't go on your own! It's dangerous!" Nozomi hurried to catch up with her.

"I said, I don't care! Leave me alone!" Eli shouted without having any intention to stop and wait for the purplenette to catch up.

"You promised that you will listen to me! Now you leave before I could tell you everything?!" Nozomi shouted again, yet Eli was silent and kept striding away.

"Ericchi! Stop!" once again she shouted as she keeps moving faster towards the blonde.

"Fine! You don't need to tell me about yourself! I will tell you about myself!" Nozomi still insisted as she began to catch up, though Eli also started to move faster.

"I was young and stupid, I was lonely and clueless… and I realized that I really want to have a real friend… not one who doesn't even care about me… not one who just moves on their own pace as they look at me as their clown… also not the ones who always says sweet things while they just try to be kind to me…." Nozomi stated as she increased her pace.

"You are the first person that I seem to have a similarity with…so I thought, maybe… if I could befriend you, I can finally be friends with myself as well… I want to learn about how to do so! I know we might be different, but I also know that what you do, what you think, and what you say are just the same with what I will do, what I will think and what I will say… denying that fact will do nothing, so I want to make the change! It's not a secret that I'm doing it for myself! Not for you or anyone else!"

Eli still didn't bother to stop.

"Please, come back… I'm sorry that I was stubborn! Let's just finish what we have to do here, ok?" Nozomi said again before she caught a glimpse of something inside the student council room that she just passed by. She stopped for a moment to look— though as she realizes that Eli really didn't plan to wait for her, she continued to move again. But when she looks ahead, she already lost the blonde.

Nozomi sighed heavily…

 _Sheesh_ _…_ _I don'_ _t want to neglect my first reason for being here_ _…_

She said to herself as she looks into the mysterious presence inside the dark student council room.

 _But…_ _. I don'_ _t want to let her go like that_ _…_ _knowing that she is too attractive for the wandering souls_ _…_

She continued as she looks into the empty and dark hallway.

 _Maybe I should let her go for now_ _…_ _then hope that she slowed down on her way home so I can catch up and talk._

She said in her mind as she returned her sight to the student council's door.

 _I just need to make sure to finish this quick_ _…_

* * *

Meanwhile, The Otonikizaka Clinic;

Principal Minami and a few student council members were inside the clinic with lights on and charms attached in every corner. Then three junior high-school students sat around the bed,

"I…I don't know if this is a good idea…. I mean, are we really here to wait for someone to exorcise evil spirits?" said the blue haired junior high-school student. She has a beautiful face and a deep yet attractive voice, along with a body that has a posture of a well-trained athlete.

"There, Umi-chan! Stop worrying too much, as long as we're going to be an audience, it will be fine!" said a ginger haired girl who seemed to be extremely energetic.

"Honoka-chan is right! Also…it's a good thing that it's a weekend, else we wouldn't be allowed to stay all night like this!" said a slim and cute girl with ash-brown colored hair.

"Actually, Kotori-chan…. it was planned by the principal…." Said one of the student council member.

"Oh…it was?" Kotori replied,

"Yep, she has been super excited ever since the two entered the school. She really hopes for a solution to the spiritual problem and they looked like they're capable of fixing it."

Kotori seemed to be bothered by it a little,

"I guess your mother really doesn't want to close down the school…" Umi whispered,

"Hehe—Then we just have to support this school right? We will enter this school together!" Honoka said energetically.

Kotori lifts her eyebrows and then smiled widely,

"Yes! You're right, Honoka-chan! We can all enter this school!" Kotori said cheerfully.

"Not to break your hopes, but three new students won't do it…we need something big!" said another student council member.

"Oooh! Like-like…uhm… a massive Television commercial?!" Honoka asked.

"W-What?! Why would we need to do a television commercial?" Umi asked in protest.

"Hahaha—Honoka-chan! You're going too far off! I'm just trying to say that you should get your other friends to apply to this school too!"

"Oh!"

And the trio continued to chat with the student council members as Principal Minami watched over them. She is happy that her daughter and friends seemed to enjoy themselves, but what became of the two people that she tasked to work on the problem?

* * *

The Student council room;

Nozomi decided to move to the student council room on her own.

With only a flashlight in her hands, she opened the door and began to examine the room—which appeared to be extremely messy and strangely gave out a gripping aura.

"Is anyone here? Anyone like…anyone? Any souls, any human being, any creatures?" Nozomi said loudly as her flashlight explored around the room. Broken wooden objects, shattered glasses and a few papers were scattered on the ground. Nozomi quietly tiptoed into the room as she tried to look for the lamp switch— yet even after she found it, she wasn't able to turn on the light because apparently, the broken glass objects came from the lamp's lightbulb. Which looks like it exploded or intentionally damaged by someone.

Then she started to examine the nearby bookcase that was filled with albums and documents. One of the album seemed to have been recently touched as she noticed the black ink dripping down the rubber cover, along with the fresh smell of wet ink.

Nozomi decided to slowly approach and pick it up.

When she opened the book, she noticed that someone scribbled their name on every single photo after a specific year.

 _Mitane Kimiko_

It says.

The end of the book led to the current year she is in right now, where the name Ayase Eli was officially written, or at least it was until a black ink crossed through it, and the same name written under, alongside a sentence after it.

 _Mitane Kimiko is the real student council president, no one can take her place!_

Nozomi lifts her eyebrows as she realizes, the presence is getting extremely stronger and much closer to her.

When she turns her sight and her flashlight back to the door— there's already a girl standing there, with her head tilted strangely, eyes wide open, messy hair, rugged uniform and skin as pale as the rotten paper stack on her hand. She started to move strangely as her lips turn sour when she gets closer to Nozomi.

"This…..is….my room….." she said with horribly echoed throaty voice,

"How…dare…you….take…. away… my right!" she continued angrily as her face started to get closer.

Instead of running away like how most people would do in this state, Nozomi frowned at her,

"So you are the culprit!" she stated.

The girl remained still as she stands strangely in front of her,

"Get off that girl's body already! You don't belong in this school anymore!" Nozomi continued bravely.

The girl remained still.

"Yes, I'm talking to you, old-hag! I know you're in there!" Nozomi said again,

"Nnnngggaaarrrghhhh! You're arrogant!" The girl started to enrage while attempting to strangle Nozomi, yet the purplenette holds on to both of her wrists, shoving it off herself.

"Really? You think everyone is arrogant just because you are a sore loser? I know what you're up to just by knowing that you will never be officially written in the student council president and vice president album!" Nozomi said to her.

"Face it, you lost… and that's all you get! No matter how much you try, and how much curse you land on others, the time will never return and your life will never be repeated again! You just need to move on and start looking for a new light!" Nozomi added again,

"You—don't—understand!" the girl said.

"Why would I need to understand you, huh?! Just look at you! Ruining other people's property, attempting to murder, haunting the place and thinking that you're the boss. Do I have to tell you that you're not even the right person to do all this? You didn't even build this school—not even paying your own school fee and you don't even show any quality that could convince everyone to pick you as the president! You're just throwing a tantrum! Admit it and be gone!" Nozomi yelled,

The girl seemed to get angrier and angrier as she began to strengthen her push—which made her manage on gripping Nozomi's neck.

"You want to kill me? Then let me tell you that once my soul leaves my body, I will kick your ass eternally! And I'm very sure that I will find the light faster than you could lick your own butt!"

The girl seems flustered as Nozomi said the last sentence,

"Yes…I said—your own butt… not literally of course! But either way, I'll give you a minute to think of what you will do… if you decide to be stubborn, then I will exorcise you with my power—which I know that I will succeed at ease. But if you are willing to stop doing all this nonsense, then I will let you go…"

The girl remained quiet,

"….so…? Have you decided?" Nozomi asked again,

"Very well….I will leave….." the girl said as she released the grip.

"Good…" Nozomi replied.

"…but I will take this girl with me….or the girl who won the election…"

"Why? Can't you leave on your own?"

"I want to take a memento—because I've lived my entire life to chase after the title…"

"You will never find peace as long as you still keep your mind to things on Earth. Just face it, you lost….and you no longer belong in this place…" Nozomi said.

"They both agreed, that there's no point of living and suffering… wouldn't that be good for them too?"

"One more bluff, and I will not tolerate it…" Nozomi said coldly.

"You…don't understand…." The girl said again—and just right after she said it, Nozomi lit up a spiritual fire around herself, and suddenly a soul of a different young girl came out of the physical body which fell down to the floor. The soul struggled as the fire began to make her fade into the thin air. Nozomi kept on chanting her prayers as the fire eventually strengthened—completely burning the soul mercilessly.

As the soul finally burned completely, Nozomi stopped and she sighed heavily— coldly watching the girl who fell on the floor in her unconscious state. Then she took out her phone, looking at the clock and the phone number that she immediately clicks to call.

When she heard the one that she called, pick up the phone,

"Good Morning, Principal Minami…." She said.

"Aaaahhmmm…." The Principal Minami yawned,

"…did you just finish the exorcism, Toujou?"

"Yes… but…I have a little problem here… apparently, the soul possessed a girl—but I couldn't see clearly about who she possessed… it's a little bit too dark and her face wasn't that clear when we got to see face to face…."

"I see… then we will go upstairs now… is it in the student council room?"

"Yes…and….upstairs?" Nozomi asked to confirm.

"Yes, we're all waiting in the archery dojo… I'm here with a few student council members…. We also have my daughter and her friends…but they all fell asleep before you called…"

"Ah, I see…. then, do you want me to wait…?"

"Oh, no, that's fine, you are dismissed, I bet Ayase doesn't want to wait for you for too long…"

Nozomi was surprised as she heard it,

"….we just saw her standing near the school gates…talking to…uh… no one?"

* * *

After the Midnight, The Otonokizaka School Gate;

Nozomi—moved at a moderate walking speed until her eyes could see the sight of the blonde surrounded by a group of transparent and bright souls. They seemed harmless and friendly towards her. But what kind of business do they have with her?

Surely, it can only be cleared once she reaches her…

"Ericchi…" she called.

Eli remained quiet and her eyes only moved slightly towards her, the souls who seemed to surround her quickly escaped when the purplenette comes closer.

"You're done?" Eli asked.

"Yes… what about you? Why are you here? I thought you left…."

"Thanks to those souls who stopped me on my way…." Eli replied as she averted her eyes.

A hint of lies, that's what Nozomi got in her head as she stared into the blonde's azure eyes. Though perhaps it's better to let it go for now? Because, maybe… the blonde made up that excuse to cover the fact that she actually waited for her… who knows?

"Why did they stop you? Is there anything important that they're trying to tell you….?" Nozomi asked.

Eli nodded slightly, though she seemed to be unwilling to explain fully.

"….to put it simply…" she started,

"They're just trying to tell me that you've done a great job on exorcising the evil spirit…" Eli continued.

Nozomi tilts her head slightly,

"That's it?" she asked,

"Yes… but it could've been less intimidating for the souls…" Eli replied shortly as she crossed her arms.

Nozomi remained silent, trying to understand what exactly her gesture meant in this case.

"Either way, that's just you being yourself… I can't blame you…." Eli continued again.

"What? I don't understand?" Nozomi asked.

"The ghost girl you just exorcised, did you know that she went through something horrible in her life time?"

"Not at all, but she did something bad, I won't let her go so easily…" Nozomi replied.

"….if you really understand what I feel…." Eli said as she began to walk which Nozomi proceed to follow,

"….maybe you will also understand what she felt to be treated unfairly.… and to be treated the same way after her death …."

"It's painful… right?" Nozomi asked.

"Exactly…" Eli replied again.

"But she is causing trouble, what does she expect?"

"Do you think ….just because of what she did to others, she deserves that treatment…?"

"She refused to change to be liked, she was throwing a tantrum and demanded the impossible victory like a sore loser…."

Eli chuckled,

"Absolutely no mercy, huh?" she asked.

"Will you give her mercy?" Nozomi asked back.

"To be honest, no… I wouldn't…" Eli replied as she comes to a halt,

"…and yet I know I will just by wonder why I cannot be as merciful as how a wise one will be when given hard decisions…" Eli continued again.

"What do you mean?" Nozomi asked.

"….Mitane Kimiko…." Eli replied—which surprises Nozomi, especially because she knows that the name wasn't yet leaked to the blonde…

"It was long before Principal Minami took over the school management. Kimiko died during an accident as she tried to reach the school for morning duty… She has done her best and it was also her last year to be able to run as a student council president… before she died, she was told that she has lost the vote. Then when the school tried to recount the votes which happen after Kimiko's funeral, apparently the other side was bribing the school's council members to have her lose… in their defense, they said, because the school doesn't need anyone who was obsessed on taking revenge towards bullies—which Kimiko never planned to do. There was enough hate spreading throughout the election. The ironic fact is that none of the candidates had as much passion as Kimiko—they wanted to become student council president because it was cool…"

"…and I bet, her wandering soul knows about it, which made her not want to accept her loss and then be really angry about it…" Nozomi said.

"Yes… then she started to become destructive and bossy towards the other souls in this school… there was also a story that she liked dragging a lot of souls with her, plenty of priests tried and they've stupidly offered their soul as a replacement for the person that she was trying to drag…. Yet after they were taken, they went to the light faster than Kimiko herself— she has never had anyone to support her and help her on making decisions… she was corrupted by her own darkness and left to rot by everyone around her…her parents didn't even once come to visit her funeral because apparently, they never wanted to admit her as their daughter ever since they divorced."

"I'm glad, that means I was doing things right tonight…. Someone who couldn't get past through her own problems wisely, doesn't deserve a reward… no matter how right she started out." Nozomi said.

Eli nodded,

"That's what I would've thought too…. but there's another part of me that wanted to approach her and listen to what exactly she wanted… knowing that she may have been negotiable, right?" she asked,

Nozomi tilt her head slightly,

"Why are you suddenly talking like that?" she asked,

"Because, maybe you were right—that maybe I want someone to save me from myself before I fall into that kind of misery…."

The purplenette smiled gently,

"There's still so much that I don't know about myself… if you think the same way as I do, then don't you also wish to change yourself somehow by taking a look into a mirror?" Eli continued again,

Nozomi nodded slightly,

"I agree…" she said.

"Maybe I will change my mind later, but…. let me tell you that I'm going to give you another chance on trying to be friends with me again…but please, if you really want to be my friend… help me change myself…. I don't want to fall alone… and I don't want to waste anymore of my life, behind all of my own barriers…"

The turquoise eyed girl was left mesmerized by how sincere the blonde was when she said all that. She began to wonder what exactly the souls are telling her to make her think that way all of a sudden.

"It's fine if you don't want to try again… I know I might have been far too rude to you…" Eli said, her face turning a light shade of red, before she quickly tried to walk away and hide her embarrassment,

"Oh—No! Not at all… I was the one who was being rude to you…that's why you were rude to me….but…either way… yes… I still want to be your friend…." Nozomi said immediately as she realized that the blonde was about to leave from her sight again.

"It may take a while for us to get used to each other, but please, stay with me…. And don't you ever leave me… even if you happen to be able to change faster than me." Eli said as her blushing cheeks started to get slightly brighter.

"My…did you just say that you're worse than I on changing?" Nozomi smiled teasingly.

"I…I didn't say that!"

"I can help you unbuttoning your shirt later, and then maybe also decide on which bra you should wear today? As someone who likes to check out females, that's pretty important detail and I'm very sure that I'm really good at it…"

"Are we even in the same context now?!" Eli raised her voice,

"Don't worry Ericchi… we came out of our own closet, we can go back in and this time—we will stay in the same closet forever…"

"W-What closet!? What are we even talking about now?!"

"Ahh! The night is so blue and the moon is so bright… it's a good time for some nice warm cuddles and perhaps, snuggles too?" Nozomi said lightheartedly—completely ignoring Eli's protest.

"N-Nozomi! Can't you just stay in one topic?!"

"Mmm… Ericchi, we should stay in your apartment tonight. I want that Quarter Russian milk again…."

"Q-Quarter Russian Milk? W-What are you talking about?! I was just serving you regular cow milk last time!"

"Don't worry about the source, with enough imagination and essence of lesbianism, everything is possible….and will also taste a hundred times better…"

"Essence of Lesbianism?! What on shattering Earth is that?!

"Ahhh—I wish I could milk it myself… fresh products is always better…."

"N-Nozomi! I don't understand! What are you talking about?!"

"Come on, Ericchi! I can't wait!"

And the purplenette began to drag the blonde into run with her.

"N-Nozomiiiiii!"

* * *

 **That was the end of the first case, kind of too fast? I hope not.**

 **Next chapter~**


	4. Ch4 : Mystery Solver Duo

**I'll be posting a bonus chapter for _"Secret Romance"_ soon, but I'll try to edit that on my own since it was done alone back then. Hopefully, i didn't make too much typos and grammatical error there.**

 **Then as for this one, I'll try my best to finish up before halloween but I suppose it won't do much with the current pacing.**

 **Anyway, thanks for reviews/comment/faves/follows!**

* * *

A week later, Otonokizaka highschool;

It's not the first time or the last time, it's just a usual day for Nozomi and Eli to walk to school together. They walked side by side while their sight checked the girls who also walked alongside them.

"Ericchi…Ericchi…" Nozomi called playfully,

"Hmm?" Eli replied, her voice somewhat a lot more gentle than what Nozomi expected to hear. The 'what' that she always heard every morning had been cold and intimidating. Either way, perhaps it's a good sign for her to launch her ridiculous joke,

"Don't you think it's nice that Otonokizaka makes us wear short skirts?"

"Because you can check what's under it?" Eli replied with a faint smile,

"Exactly my point, Ericchi! Did you know that what you wear under your skirt matters?"

"I've heard about it. It's said that when women has on their favorite color of underwear, it also determine of what kind of person she is…. I don't actually believe it, but maybe it has something to do with psychology…"

"Mmm… so what colors do you like, Ericchi?" Nozomi asked playfully.

"Black or White… but mostly, I wear white…" Eli replied without a single hint of embarrassment,

"White! Innocent and open minded…." Nozomi said.

"Let me guess yours, it's either cream or black…"

"Nope! You're wrong, Ericchi… I love Black or White as well. But instead of white, I mostly wear black…"

"The Strong and Sultry type, huh? You surely got that charm… but then again, it's probably just a stereotype… I don't actually believe it…" Eli replied.

"I get a feeling that you'll be the strong one in bed…" Nozomi said teasingly,

"Really? I thought you'll be the aggressive one instead…" Eli said.

"Hmm? Are we talking about whether we'll be in bed together?" Nozomi asked—which makes the blonde realizes her error. Eli can't help but to blushes madly,

"I–I mean! If we're going to compare each other….!" She said with her eyes averted somewhere else,

Nozomi giggled,

"Now-now, Ericchi…. we're getting a little closer to the school, let's try and not be too goofy in front of them….we need to look like we're the perfect couple. Make them create the fandom and all…"

"C-can you not say that we're meant to be a couple or anything?! We just met two months ago! Plus, this is our first day of officially being part of the student council… so you keep your heads up and don't let people see you as a mess!"

"Oooh! You're right, president… we should keep our images…" Nozomi said as she quickly tidied herself.

But after a few meters of walk, Nozomi grabs Eli's arm and clings onto her,

"But that doesn't make me not allowed to do this, right?" she said cheerfully.

Eli couldn't respond,

"Just imagine what people will say about us… walking to school together, having lunch together, studying together, and going back from school together…. We surely look like—…"

"…an Idiot couple…" Eli cuts in.

"There! Ericchi! I didn't say that!"

"I think you just make me look stupid, that's all…" Eli said.

"Oh you will enjoy it, Ericchi. Being stupid is not that bad at all, people are make it look bad because they're jealous…"

"Jealous? Because they can't be stupid?" Eli asked Nozomi as they stopped in front of their own lockers.

"Let me tell you something, Ericchi, if you over-think too much, the world will put more and more burden upon your shoulders…"

"…and if you are too loose, you will lose your way and you won't be able to get past of your problems…" Eli said as she placed her shoe inside the locker,

"We complete each other, don't you think?" Nozomi asked teasingly,

"How does that even bring you to that conclusion…?! It means that we don't even have the same way of life!"

"We don't, but that's what makes us perfect, Ericchi. You can remind me when I'm being too loose and I can help you loosen up when you're holding on too much…." Nozomi said.

Eli sighs heavily,

"I don't believe I have ever said that I need you to remind me, I just want you to stay around and that's about it…"

"Being friends is not simply just to stay around, Ericchi, we also have to care about others… I don't want you to be burdening yourself too much…or if you want to put it in another way, I want you to have fun with me while I will also be under your care as you make me work on stuff…"

"If you put it that way, then I can't say anything against it…." Eli said as she moved to the classroom along-side with Nozomi who grabs her arm and once again stuck close to her.

"But, Ericchi… we really do make a perfect couple… why can't you just agree to date me yet?"

"This not a time to discuss something like that, Nozomi… there's still so many fishes in the pond…"

"You won't find any that smells as fishy as me, Ericchi. trust me…." Nozomi said playfully.

Eli couldn't help but to burst into laughter,

"What did you just say, Nozomi? Smell as fishy as you?"

"Something wrong with being fishy? Fishes are pretty popular among the Japanese, you know!"

"What's the context of this 'fishy' you're talking about…. You're so silly!" Eli said.

"Part of my way to make you like me, Ericchi…you can call it as a 'flirtatious joke'…."

"Flirtatious joke? I don't think that's the right word for it, it sounded more like a self-depicting joke… either way though…" Eli paused for a moment,

"It's awkwardly not funny…" she continued as her expression changed into a plain one,

"Not funny? Hmmm…you surely have a high expectation for jokes, huh? Then don't worry, I still have a few bullets in my pants…" Nozomi said,

"In your pants? Seriously?" Eli complained,

"Of course, Ericchi! you can even go inside to check it out!"

"W-what?" Eli raised her eyebrow as she enters the classroom along with Nozomi.

"Anyway Ericchi! Have you heard that the pre-mid-semester exam result will be posted on the board soon?"

"You're changing the topic again!"

"I really want to check it out!" Nozomi said cheerfully as she placed her bag on her table, ignoring the protest that the blonde made.

"I don't have the need to do that, I know where I'll be…." Eli said as she sat on her seat after she placed her own bag on the table.

"My! How arrogant! But that's my Ericchi… now let's go check it out!" Nozomi said before she drags the blonde out of the classroom with her.

"H-Huh?!W-wait! N-Nozomiiii!"

* * *

The Otonokizaka High-School's hallway;

The exam board was attached strongly against the wall as students crowded the area. They seemed to be worked up on each other's detail.

"Look, you're on rank 100, Kanami-chan!" said a girl

"Yeah, looks great. I guess I'm ready enough to face the actual test!" said another.

"Don't get too cocky. It's only a pre-test for the mid-semester, the real battle is at the end of the semester!"

"I'll make sure to get my ass working twice as hard!" the students walked away from the exam result board while Eli and Nozomi just arrived to the area. Just as Nozomi scanned the first rank, she didn't even need to look through any other names. Eli was in the first rank and with perfect score too.

"Woaaah…Ericchi… you're so good…. I can't believe you're actually that brilliant..."

"A genius, if you don't mind…but like I said, I don't even need to look for this…" Eli replied.

"Your arrogant attitude surely doesn't come for nothing…" Nozomi said.

"What about you?" Eli said as she started to look for Nozomi's name.

"Eh, well… I should be somewhere around 70 or 90…. I'm not that good at studying…" Nozomi replied,

"Here it is, Rank 69…."

"Mmm…. Sounds good. That really fits me, don't you think? If you know what I mean…." Nozomi said with a cheeky voice.

"We're not going that way, Nozomi… not now… anyway, you need to work on your science and math…."

"Math and Sciences are boring…"

"Just because you can't find the fun in it…" Eli said.

"Sheesh… what's the fun in it anyway… we're always talking about some sense and logic, how boring…." Nozomi said.

Just as the time when Eli was about to respond, they overheard a few students talking….

"Aahhh—No way! I'm almost became the lowest rank!" said one of them.

"Oh no! Does that mean… Hanako-chan will be after you?!" said the others.

"H-Huh?! What?! No way! That only happens if you knock the door three times and call her name!" said the other again.

"I heard she will also come if you have poor grades!"

"Shush, you two…she is only an urban legend…" said the other girl before they left.

Nozomi looked fascinated by the story, and then quickly faced Eli, about to suggest checking it out.

"Ericchi! Let's—…."

"No, never, not a chance... My grade is far too high for that…." Eli replied quickly.

"Eeh!? But we can try knocking three times!"

"You don't even know where to do that!" Eli said.

"The bathroom of course! That's where every urban legend takes place!"

"I wonder what's with ghosts and bathrooms at this rate...it's like almost every ghost lives in the bathroom!"

"Trust me, Ericchi, we will be fine…" Nozomi said proudly.

"I'm not doing that— and you're not either! Let's just go back to the classroom…" Eli said as she began to drag Nozomi back.

"Aaa—Ericchiiiii—Aaaaaaaa—I want….!"

* * *

The Classroom;

As they arrived back to the classroom, with Nozomi still clinging close to Eli and begging to try what the urban legend said…

"…but-but you will never know, rightttt? Maybe there will be Aka Manto-san too!"

"What on earth is Aka Manto-san?!" Eli responded in her annoyance,

"The guy that will ask you about red cloak or blue cloak— some said he may also ask red paper or blue paper….in the toilet!"

"Toilet again?!"

"What's wrong with toilet, Ericchi? you don't like it?"

"Thing is, Nozomi, we've been going in and out of the toilet many times! There's nothing like that!"

"But-but what if they actually appear?! Don't you want to hear what to do?"

"What? Say Purple?"

"Nope! It's by answering 'no cloak!' or 'no paper!'…"

Eli sighed heavily,

"Then what about Hanako-chan? What to tell her?"

"Eh…well, Hanako-chan is said to be always summoned, like, you knock the toilet door three times, then ask 'Hanako-chan, are you there?' and if she answer, 'yes, I'm here!' then you can either run for your life or dare and go in to meet her in one of the stalls!"

"What will happen if we get in to the stall and meet her?"

"Well, she is said to be bloody and if you're out of luck, she will drag you to the netherworld with giant hands! Big enough to grab your whole body!"

Eli smirked,

"Haha-yeah, sure… the only dragging I could imagine, is to the toilet by a purple haired girl…" she said sarcastically,

"My! Ericchi! You're kinky! We can do that kind of trial in the toilet!"

"W-What?! Kinky?! Trial?! What do you even mean by that? I was talking about you being persistent and wanting to try that nonsense…" Eli protested as the two sat down on their seats.

"Next time we get there, we should start listing ghosts that appear in the bathroom and see if we can do anything about it!"

"They are urban legends, Nozomi… they don't actually exist…"

"Just imagine how many people we can save if we can do something about the urban legends!"

"I said, they don't exist! Sheesh!"

"I heard that perfect beauty is also a legend, why do you exist, Ericchi?"

"H-huh? What?" Eli swears that something started to burn in her cheeks, immediately after Nozomi's quick remark.

"For someone like you to exist…. Hmmm…. Surely all the same kind of girls will be all over you… I am all over you…." Nozomi said playfully.

"W-Whatever, but really, if you want to check that urban legend, you better find someone who has bad grades… I refuse to lower my grades just to help you with that…" Eli said.

Just then, Nozomi and Eli turn their sight towards two girls walking past them—heading to a small girl with black hair and ruby eyes. They both were carrying a pair of letters warped neatly.

"Niko-chan…" They called.

The small black haired girl looked at them flustered,

"What? I don't think it's time for practice yet…" she said.

"No...it's not that Niko-chan…but… you ranked the lowest in the pre-test, right?" the other girl said.

Niko—the black haired girl seemed to be agitated,

"W-Wh-Well yeah…. But that doesn't change anything….we will still perform in the auditorium this weekend…"

The two girls seemed to be worried, then they smiled gently to each other…

"Actually, Niko-chan… it does matter..." one of them said,

"That's why…we are here to hand you this…." the other said as she handed the letters that she held in her hand.

Nozomi and Eli flustered for a moment, but as they caught the word written on the brown envelope— it says,

 _Letter of resignation_

"We don't want to hurt you, knowing that your grade might hurt you more than this… but please understand…." One of them said,

"….we can still be friends if you like…." the other added before the two left without looking back.

 _Ouch…._

Said Nozomi in her thoughts,

 _Somehow_ _…._

She continued,

 _It doesn_ _'_ _t make it sound any better_ _…_ _for her at least_ _…_ _. Who was her name again_ _?_ _… Niko?_

She thought as she kept staring at the small girl—who is now trying to conceal her sadness, though she failed miserably as tears began to roll down her eyes.

Nozomi gave her a concerned look, and then turned her eyes away to Eli who seemed to be already losing her interest long before her.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Eli asked as she noticed that Nozomi is looking at her.

"My, Ericchi, how did you know I'm looking at you…?"

"Doesn't matter, but…if you are thinking what I'm thinking then you better drop off the thing you wanted to do. It will not go well…" Eli said.

"Hmm? How do you know if it will go well or not?" Nozomi hummed.

"Sure, we know something, but do we know everything behind it? Can we stay by her side if the truth is against what we're thinking? I rather not try than to fail miserably—it will hurt her more than she already is…." Eli said.

Nozomi remained quiet,

"Plus, this is our first day in the student council, we should focus on that instead of minor problems like this…" Eli continued.

"It's not minor for her, you know…." Nozomi replied,

"I know, maybe it's the whole world for her, but what can we do? We can't solve every single problem for every student… we can only do whats related to this school's future…" Eli replied again,

Nozomi seemed to be saddened,

"You're right… we can't…." she whispered sadly,

"Don't give me that…. we're strangers for her… we can't just get into her personal life the way we want…." Eli said again.

Nozomi nodded. Then the two remained quiet as both of their eyes kept stealing glances at the petite girl, who still tried hard to pretend that everything is alright.

Afterschool, The student council room;

The room is set and everything was renewed after the incident that occurred the night before, where Nozomi decided to exorcise Mitane Kimiko. Eli started reading manuals about how she should start her duties, while Nozomi walked around the room to check on the objects around her,

"Mmm… these new albums are surely well made. Thanks to the former student council…" she said,

"...Was it not?" Eli asked,

"Well, it wasn't that good… lots of ink and broken glass the last time I entered this room. You should've been there…but you ran away…"

"I wouldn't go away if you didn't annoy me that much back then…."

"I know, I know…." Nozomi giggled,

"Let's not bring that up again. Anyhow, when are you going to tell me more about her? Didn't you get the whole story from those souls who approached you, Ericchi?"

"Not much detail to tell, they just said that she is pretty much a bossy soul. No one likes her, but for the sake of her purpose to haunt, many lost souls were with her…"

"So basically, in a way, she was protecting and leading them?" Nozomi asked.

"Yes… then they said, that they are no longer followed her because I'm taking the president place. There are plenty of things to work on, but it's none of your business. You're just a vice president…so just do everything I'm asking you to do…."

"Mmm…you can do me too if you like… we can do each other…" Nozomi said teasingly,

"Not again, Nozomi… no perverted stuff in this room…" Eli replied.

"Oh, by the way, Ericchi… did you hear? You can choose two vice presidents to help you…. isn't it amazing?" Nozomi asked.

"I just want you to be the only one by my side, so don't ever think of dragging anyone else into this…"

"Oooohh! My! Ericchi! You're surely up for only one wife… that's amazing…"

"I'm not even going to play along with that, come here and get these documents arranged…" Eli said as she beckoned to Nozomi.

"What is it? What is it?" Nozomi approached her with cute jumping steps,

"Listen, we need to update this school's activity list. One of their representative's should be coming in three hours to hand in the absence list, but it will be a lot more effective if you write down all of the names first and the total amount of members from previous datas… it will help us to know which clubs haven't turned in their data…and which club gets more members or less members…" Eli explained,

"Ok, Ericchi! As you wish!" Nozomi quickly picked up the pen and started looking at the paper that Eli handed—the stack of paper suddenly makes her squirm inside her stomach. She thought that it's a little bit too much for her to look through.

"Uh…Ericchi, why is there a lot of paper here?"

Eli giggled,

"Don't worry, you just need to fill in one paper, the rest are your data. It's bundled neatly and arranged according to months… you will have to make it like that too…" she said.

The thing that Nozomi seems to pay more attention to is not about how easy it actually is, but the way Eli's giggle made her heartbeat rise in an instant. She knows well that the blonde is extremely attractive, but she has never thought that it actually moved her heart.

From all the teasing she did, she has never felt anything go wrong. She began to wonder what her heart actually tried to tell her when they started to race uncontrollably at the times she listened to the blonde's soft giggles.

"Nozomi…?" Eli called her,

For some reason, Nozomi once again felt something jump out from inside her as she heard the follow up call.

"Y-Yes, Ericchi?!" she replied nervously.

"Is there something on my face?" Eli asked curiously.

"N….Not really….!" Nozomi replied as she tried her best not to look nervous.

"Oh—Come on! This is your very first job, it's simple and clear, right?" Eli said.

Nozomi nodded, she knows well that her face might be redder than the pen the blonde held in her hand. She also knows that she could've denied it, but for some reason, she couldn't speak out a single word to someone that she could call as a friend now...

After a while, Eli sighed heavily before she pulled back all the stack of papers.

"A-ah! E-Ericchi!" Nozomi tried to hold it yet the blonde was quicker at pulling it back.

"I changed my mind, I'll do this myself…" Eli said somewhat coldly.

 _No…_ _Not again_ _…._

Nozomi thought as she remained silent in place.

 _Why is she so easy to make distance with_ _…_ _even the slightest mistake could make her get all upset_ _…._

She continued.

 _But…_ _come to think of it_ _…._

She tilted her head slightly as she watches Eli begin her paperwork,

 _Shouldn_ _'_ _t I remind her to put some of the responsibility on me? She shouldn_ _'_ _t hold it all by herself. But how can I approach her? Knowing that in this time of moment, she is probably super sensitive on things_ _…._

She continued again in her mind,

 _Ah…_ _I really should act quickly! Perhaps telling the truth will do it!_

"Sheeesh! Ericchi! You don't need to do that all by yourself, I was just astonished when you giggled…."

"What's so astonishing from my giggle, huh?" Eli responded—still somewhat coldly.

"You know, ever since I met you… it's hard to see you smile and it's very rare to hear you giggle. It really surprised me and…. it's like…. my heart couldn't take it when you did that to me…" Nozomi replied.

"Your flirt will not work on me anymore…" Eli replied.

"I'm not trying to flirt with you—I'm just telling the truth…" Nozomi replied again.

Eli stayed quiet as she kept working on the paper instead, but noticing the blush tinge her cheeks and the slight frown on her face, Nozomi realized that Eli wasn't ignoring her completely,

"…..I think I'm in love with you already…" she continued shamelessly.

"Being in love just because you heard me giggle? Ridiculous…."

"But…I was already interested in you from ever since we met… I can't say the details because…I'm…. basically…just extremely interested in you…. then the fact that we're on the same boat…. Hmmmm….. I think you're just too good to be true…. Being with you makes my heart beat so fast, Ericchi…."

Eli persisted on being quiet and started to look away from her.

"Seriously…. We should go on a date…" Nozomi continued again.

"I refuse…." Eli replied immediately.

"You're such a spoilsport, aren't you? You haven't even tried to hit on me…"

"I could hit you if I want…" Eli replied again,

"Not that kind of hitting, Ericchi… the romantic kind of hitting!"

"So that would be hitting in a slow motion, huh?" Eli replied.

For a moment, Nozomi was confused with Eli's comeback, but then as she realizes that 'romantic' in her context is from how 'romanticism art' are described, she couldn't help but to not laugh at it.

"By the Gods! Ericchi! How could you pull out a joke out of that?!"

Eli didn't answer, her paper seemed to be already halfway finished while Nozomi couldn't stop laughing at how sudden the joke came out—and it also came from someone she didn't expect to have a sense of humor.

When she managed to stop laughing and figure out that Eli insisted on doing the paper by herself, Nozomi stood up from her seat and approached her. She carefully landed her hands upon the blonde's shoulder, brushing them tentatively, and leaning her body close.

"There….Ericchi…. do you have to make me happy so that you can hold all the responsibility on your own?"

Eli froze in place.

"You don't have to do that…" Nozomi whispered softly as she began to snuggle lovingly at her.

For about a few seconds, Eli didn't move, not even her eyes couldn't be seen blinking—though when she snapped herself out of her shock….

"N…Nozomi…." she called out with a hint of anger in her voice.

"Hmm….?" Nozomi replied calmly, without a single hint of guilt.

"Why are you hugging me?"

"It's just a friendship hug, Ericchi….nothing else…"

Just as Eli heard that respond, she grabs Nozomi and throws her to the front.

"W-whaaa?!" Nozomi flew to the front—yet luckily she was swift enough to do a mid-air recovery.

"How many times do I have to tell you that it doesn't work that way, huh!?" Eli yelled.

"Eehh? It's fine! If you fall for me, I will accept you with all of my heart!"

"I—It doesn't work like that!" Eli yelled again before she jumped from her seat—aiming to chop Nozomi with her hand. Nozomi quickly dodged away from her,

"W-wh-whoa! Y-You're good!" Nozomi complimented,

"You are good at this too, huh?!" Eli raised her voice as she set herself in a battle mode,

"I'm used to trying to survive, so of course I am—…" before Nozomi finishes her sentence, Eli grabs both of her breasts.

"A-aaaahh!" Nozomi didn't even try to dodge,

"You didn't dodge it!" Eli yelled as she began to squeeze it hard.

"E-Ericcchiii! T-That hurrrtttsss!"

"You're asking for it!" Eli said

"Aaaaahhhnnnn!" Nozomi moaned erotically.

"S-Stop that you idiot!" Eli's blush began to get redder as she squeezes harder…

By the time Eli and Nozomi were busy with their own business, the door opened and a black haired girl entered the room—to have her jaw dropped as her eyes sighted the weird event…

"Aaahhaahhh! Ericchi! I can't take it anymore!"

"What can't you take, huh?! You just made it sound wrong!"

And the two continued while the black haired girl remained still with a smirk on her face.

"These two idiots are student councils members….? I can't believe it…." she whispered to herself.

The two seemed to still be busy in their own world,

"B-but…I'm here for a reason! I have to do it—…!" the girl with black hair knocked the door loudly,

"Ooiiiiii!" she shouted.

Nozomi and Eli quickly ran to their own seats and started to pretend that they haven't done anything other than work on their paperwork—even though it's already obvious that they did something else before...

"Welcome… do you have any business today?" Eli asked—extremely too formally.

"We will try to help you as much as we can…." Nozomi smiled — obviously a faked smile.

Niko smirked as she thought about how the two could act like nothing ever happened. Though, she decided to just forget about it and walked into the room.

"I'm just going to hand in today's attendance report…" the little girl said as she handed in a piece of paper.

Nozomi raised her eyebrow while Eli took the paper off the girl—expressionless.

She seemed to be shocked for a second, but then as soon as she raised her head to the petite girl, she changed her face back into her usual serious face,

"Thank you, you may leave now…"

The little girl seemed to be surprised by how easy the blonde let her go. Nozomi—who witnessed it smiled gently and added,

"Now-now, do you have anything you wanted to say? A new advertising permission perhaps?"

The black haired girl flustered,

"A school idol club…. I've never known about that. I would like to make an examination to the club room tomorrow before I agree to the vice president's idea…"

When Eli stated it, the little girl gave out a worried expression for a moment, though she shook her head,

"There's nothing there right now… just me…."

"I'm not talking about your activity, I just need to know about what kind of items you have in there…"

"Nothing, we have the room and a few costumes hanging around. We don't actually do anything anyway…" the little girl replied again.

Eli and Nozomi looked at each other, and then they nodded slightly to tell that they probably think the same way with each other.

"Hmm… what was your name again…. Niko-chan?" Nozomi asked,

"Yes… Yazawa Niko…." She replied.

"Well, Alright, Niko-chan,…. we're new student council President/Vice President, we would like to get to know about the school activity and things that they already have…." Nozomi said.

"…plus, it's not like your club will be the only one we examine. We will do the others as well in the right schedule…" Eli said.

"Yep, what she said…" Nozomi added.

"Will you disband it if it somehow doesn't meet the requirement?" Niko asked—somewhat sadly,

"We don't disband things at sight, so of course everything will be collected first then decide about their fate after the incoming council meeting. Meanwhile though, it would be nice if you prepare the place for us…." Eli said.

"Oh—and, remember, Niko-chan…. we will only decide from the result of the examination….so we wouldn't know what exactly happens everyday…." Nozomi said—with a slight hint of smile on her face.

Niko raised her eyebrow, it's like something has sparked in her as she realizes that Nozomi just hinted something at her.

"Whatever result I get from the examination, that will be what I will take to the meeting…so if you don't do your best, it might be bad for you…." Eli said as she tidied up her paper…

"Oh—we also planned to change the club advertising system…." Nozomi said—still with a hint of smile on her face.

Eli glanced at Nozomi, wondering of what she is actually thinking.

"But we will have to discuss about that first…" Eli said with a frown on her face, hinting Nozomi to not speak too freely.

"Ah—she's right… we will have to discuss about it first, but either way, it will be effective and even one person could do it…" Nozomi said.

Eli smirked and rolled her eyes,

"Good for you, Niko-chan?" the purplenette continued as she smiled wider to the black haired girl.

"Y-yes…." She nodded,

"You may leave now…." Eli said.

"Bye-bye…." Nozomi said cheerfully as she waved to the black haired girl who just ends the conversation with a nod and left without any more words.

As the black haired girl left and closed the student council room door….

"Noooozzoooooomiiiiiiii!" Eli shouted loudly.

"Uwaaahh! Ericchi is angrryyyy!" Nozomi yelled back playfully.

"W-What on earth are you saying, huh?! Why are you giving her hope?!"

"What's wrong with giving her hope? She hasn't given up yet…" Nozomi replied.

"We cannot guarantee it! What if you're breaking her more than she already is broken?!"

"At least try… I'm sure she will appreciate it!" Nozomi said.

Eli remained quiet, and then sighed deeply at her and sat down…

"Look, she is all alone in her club now… do you think she can be an idol alone?"

"Hmm…Ericchi, do you think idols have to be in a group?"

"She made a club, don't you just wonder what she wanted from it?"

"Eh….?" Nozomi tilts her head slightly,

"I said—she made the club! She wants someone else to help her out with it! She knows she can't do it alone!"

Nozomi nodded,

"I see... then…it's time to look for the answer…!" she said,

"What?" Eli tried to confirm,

Nozomi remain quiet as she began to look through her bag– taking out a deck of tarot cards and placing it on the table.

She placed two cards on the table,

"Oh…not again…" Eli rolled her eyes.

"This card is the future…" she placed her hand on the right card,

Eli smirked at her,

"…and this one is the present!" Nozomi placed her hand on the left card.

Eli glanced away from her.

"Let's see….. if the present is The Tower, then the future is correct!"

The blonde completely ignored her as she rubs her own neck,

"Ooohh! The tower!" Nozomi opened the first card,

"So…the future says…." She placed down her first card and headed to the second,

"The Stars…"

"My! The future for her is bright, Ericchi! It's full of optimism!" Nozomi said,

"Did you know that the stars also could mean a big fake opportunity?" Eli replied.

Nozomi was surprised to hear it,

"Eh…? How did you know that?"

"I've done readings…Nozomi…and…the stars that you see on the sky might look real, but the truth, they might've died long before your eyes could witness it. In other words, they fell when you look up and died before you know it…" Eli explained,

Nozomi seemed to be very troubled with it,

"Now…now…Ericchi, don't bring me down like that…"

"You were the one who brought it up by telling me about the cards you took out…" the blonde replied.

The purplenette stayed silent…

"….that's why you should be more careful next time… now we have no choice but to actually look for a way to fix things in case your brilliant idea gets us into a bigger problem…" Eli said.

Nozomi sighed weakly before she headed to the nearby window, leaning herself into it and looked down into the school's yard.

"It's all your fault…." She pouts.

"My fault?! How could that be my fault?" Eli complained.

"If only you never told me about the truth, I wouldn't be as worried as now…" Nozomi replied.

"…and you know I'm telling you the truth… do you think I will want to let you go anywhere you like without knowing them…?"

"Nothing wrong with living in lies sometimes, it feels better…" Nozomi said.

"What?" Eli tried to confirm about what she just heard.

"How do I put it, Ericchi…. you only live once… if you stress over about how to survive and how to deal with the future, you will not living as a living being…"

"What does that even mean….?" Eli asked with less enthusiasm.

"You're living because you're alive, Ericchi! You're not living for anything else! Not for money, not for love….you don't need to plan everything!"

"…and here you think you can manage to do things without preparation?" Eli asked—somewhat mockingly.

"Yep! I never studied and still get good marks… no point for me to be after the highest score…" Nozomi said proudly.

"Science… thirteen…." Eli said.

"Science is the biggest nonsense in the world…" Nozomi said.

"W-What did you just say?!" Eli seemed slightly angry.

"It's a nonsense when humans say that they understand nature, while in fact they're the ones who control the nature…"

"It doesn't go like that, you silly girl! They don't always conduct an 'experiment' you know…. There are more depths in the study itself… and you just don't know…"

"When they find something they can't explain in brief details, they call it a miracle, a wonder, or an anomaly… what if it happened everyday? Should it still be called a miracle?"

"Y-you're not making any sense!" Eli said.

"No one can study one's life… there's only a word that is called as 'stereotyping' one's life…people say ants love sweets— what if they don't? What if they love water instead? Or maybe the queen told them to get some muffin…"

"Muffin is sweet, you silly girl! Really… you're not making any sense to me right now… unless that's only your way to express about how much you don't like biology. Either way, the study isn't always about the stereotypes, they also learn about what's under your skin…you know…"

"Some Love and some Life, then a major essence of—…."

Before Nozomi could finish,

"They're all nonsense!" Eli said quickly.

"Sheesh, Ericchi… you're breaking the fun again…" Nozomi said.

"Muscles, bones, organ, and everything else… that's all inside a human being… all the same…" Eli said plainly.

"Well, I wonder why are you Ericchi and I'm Nozomi if we're the same…" Nozomi said somewhat sarcastically.

Eli was taken back from the statement, having nothing to use as a counter other than the argument, "because we're born that way," which in all cases, won't do anything. For the sake of her own mind, she believes that Nozomi will be able to counter it again such as asking for an explanation why humans live and how humans have an identity if they are all born the same.

Though as lucky as she is, when she was about to speak, a loud ruckus suddenly was heard from the lower floor of the school—it's a good thing for her since that would mean she doesn't have to argue again.

"W-What's that?" Eli said in a made up panic expression.

Nozomi raised her eyebrow,

"Hmm? Did you just panic? That's unlikely of you…" she said.

"It's a ruckus, Nozomi… there must be something happening down there…" Eli replied.

"Really? I just didn't expect you'll make that panic expression…" Nozomi replied again,

Eli smirked slightly, thinking that she should've not made the expression. Now she couldn't take it back.

"If you're just trying to change the topic because you lost the argument, I'm not going to confront you about it… but to tell you about what I feel…." she paused as she began to walk out of the room,

"….I hate a loser like you… like myself as well… but I understand…" she continued,

Eli remain silent in her confusion,

"….so let's just forget about that topic and go check the ruckus, shall we?" Nozomi smiled at her sincerely.

* * *

The Otonokizaka School Yard;

The two ran down quickly and approached the center of the crowd—they managed to reach it easily as every student gave them the way, knowing that they're the student council. Then as their eyes met with a girl who got red paint all over her uniform and appear to be traumatized….

"Ah—good timing…." said Principal Minami who appear to be nearby along with a few former member of student council.

"What's happening here?" Eli asked.

"It's in the time of the semester again, our exam announcement always had this happen to low graded students…" said one of the former student council members to Eli.

"They heard someone crying in one of the stalls—and then as they opened it, or when tried to leave the bathroom early, they were pushed to the toilet which they luckily managed to keep themselves away from…though they will always have red or blue paint cover them like this…"

"It can't be done by pranksters, it happened for years and years…" Principal Minami said with a hint of smile on her face.

"Well…. a soul could be a prankster at times…." Nozomi said confidently.

Eli sighed heavily at her sentence...

"This is a call for the greatest couple in Otonokizaka History, Ericchi!" Nozomi continued again.

"Uh-huh…." The blonde nodded.

"Don't worry, Principal Minami! Don't worry, girls! We will solve this mystery together!" Nozomi continued as she held Eli's hand and posed heroically.

"She is dragging me into this again…." Eli whispered to herself before she let out another heavy sigh.

* * *

 **That's all for now, hopefully we can update soon!**


	5. Ch5 : The Calling

**Sorry...the progress of this fan fiction is so slow and late and...didn't go like what i wanted it to be.**

 **Thanks for reviews/faves/follows.**

 **Thanks to Crimson for edit.**

* * *

Night Time, Ayase's residence;

A freshly well baked Piroshky was served on the table, Eli stood near the sink as she carefully tended to the kitchen's utensils while Nozomi who was sitting on a chair, was reading a stack of old newspapers which was given by the student councils members and principal Minami herself.

They said the newspaper pretty much contains the story about the legend and information that has a chance of being useful for the two… but…

"Hmm…. Ericchi… this Legend feels like it's made up…." Nozomi said.

"So it was just a prank, huh?" Eli asked,

"I'm not sure… but people said that the target has to be the girl with the lowest rank…"

"…and we both know, Yazawa Niko is in the lowest rank…." Eli replied.

"Yes….we knew that…. but the girl who was targeted back then wasn't her…"

"Wrong target perhaps?" Eli asked.

"It can't be… there must be something else that makes the target a target…" Nozomi replied.

"A contract?" Eli asked again.

"Contract? Now that you mention it Ericchi…. There was this article of "Believe It or Not" in the corner of one of the newspapers…." Nozomi started to look for the newspaper again.

"A story about a girl who made a contract with Hanako-chan…." she continued again as she unfolds the newspaper and places it on top of the table,

"It says…. Hanako-chan promised the girl that she would help her get great marks on her exam, but has to meet her in the school's toilet at midnight. After that, the said girl then made the contract…"

"Oh….?" Eli raised her eyebrows, showing her interest to the story,

"….Even though she made the promise, the girl was said to not be capable of fulfilling it… so that's how she ended up getting mysterious red paint fall upon her as she walked out of the school after her exam was announced…"

"Huh? Now that doesn't make much sense… unless you're saying that this… Hanako-chan is angry because she didn't fulfill her wishes, and decided to get revenge by pouring the red paint…"

"Exactly Ericchi!"

"That still doesn't make any sense! Why did she even do that? I mean… in all ghost stories, the ghosts supposedly bring the victims to their death, not into some trouble with red paint!"

"That's what I don't know, Ericchi… I mean, even though I believe there should be a hint of mystery in it, there is still the chance of it to be just a made up story to cover a prankster's act…"

Eli lifts her eyebrow,

"I'm surprised that you put it into reason…" she said,

"Sheesh, Ericchi! I'm a believer, not a madman!"

Eli giggles—and once more, Nozomi was awestruck by her voice… though she shook her head and tried hard to focus back onto the topic,

"Hmmph! Ericchi! So mean!" Nozomi said with a cute pout on her face.

Eli smiled sweetly at her as she dries her hand with a towel and heads to the dining table to pick up the Piroshky and offer it to Nozomi,

"I'm joking, forgive me will you…?" the blonde asked nicely.

Nozomi remained still as her eyes looked at the bread the blonde held, and then decided to accept it—with a bite.

"Hold it yourself…sheesh…" Eli said. Nozomi took a moment to swallow her food….

"Take it as your way of apologizing to me…"she said.

"Huh? Fine then… big baby…."

"Big Baby? Seriously Ericchi?"

"Something wrong with that?" Eli asked.

"Hmm…. probably…. But I hoped that it could be more intimate…"

"Intimate? Like…. My baby?"

"Yup… or…My Honey also could work…" Nozomi said teasingly.

Knowing her intention, Eli sighed weakly and then stood up from her seat.

"Are you testing me, Nozomi?"

"Hmm… testing you for what?" The purplenette smiled playfully.

Eli remained quiet as she approached the purplenette and placed her hand on her shoulder,

"Testing my ability to flirt with someone like you…" the blonde whispered—and just with her voice, Nozomi felt herself getting tensed all of a sudden. She also could feel the blonde's pale hand trailing down from her shoulders to her arm—it was gentle and warm…

"E….Ericchi…..?" Nozomi asked carefully.

"Just because I appear to never do this kind of thing…doesn't mean I don't know how to do it…" Eli replied—still with a whisper…

"…. I know how to charm a girl—it became one of my study in life… you know…" she continued again. Nozomi's heart started to race, and no form of words could escaped from her mouth.

"….and since you've been a naughty girl from ever since we met…." The blonde continued while the purplenette began to feel numb all over her body.

"Let me introduce you to my charm…." Eli gently placed her tentative fingers on Nozomi's jawline, then leads her head to face hers….

"….My Sweet Honey…." She continued before she closed the gap to her lips—though just right before she reaches it…

Red liquid showered her face.

"W-Whoa?! N-Nozomi?!" Eli quickly made distance to look at what kind of red liquid dripped on her face,

"B-Blood?" Eli flustered,

 _S…_ _.S_ _…So…_ _.good_ _….M…_ _My heart can_ _'_ _t take it_ _…._

Nozomi said in her mind before she fell to the ground.

"N-Nozomi! W-Wait there! W-What happen to you?!" Eli quickly tried to wake her up, yet the purplenette fell unconscious with blood ran down her nose.

"Nozomiiii!"

* * *

The next day, Otonokizaka Highschool's student council room;

Clippings of articles were gathered in one big board, arranged as a mind-map. A few sticky notes written neatly and some illustration of ghost attached near each article.

It was Nozomi's first time to see such an amazing sight. She didn't make it, but she can understand it easily—or maybe… just some part of it.

"Ericchi-Ericchi, what's this?" Nozomi asked as she pointed to an illustration that was attached alone. The illustration is just a picture of a little girl with short bob hair, wearing a kindergarten sailor uniform.

"That one, it was the mix of description from this article…" Eli pointed to the upper illustration that was placed near an article, it's just a picture of the girl's face.

"….and this description from the interviews a few years ago…" she continued.

"Hmm…Ericchi, did you draw it by yourself?" Nozomi asked.

"Of course…" she replied.

"You're good at it! You should draw me next time…"

"Huh? What? Why would I want to draw you? Sheesh!"

"I can pose like a sexy model, Ericchi!"

"I don't need that! Beside, we're not getting into that topic again… I don't want you to have another brain failure…"

"It wasn't a brain failure, Ericchi! the heat was just too much for me—I just need to practice more and I swear I can face your ultimate flirt!"

"It wasn't even an ultimate flirt! I was just flirting like usual!"

"So it's not your final weapon?! Interesting!" Nozomi replied with full of enthusiasm.

"Nozomi…." Eli sighed,

"….let's just focus on this…" she continued,

"Ok, anything for you, Ericchi…so…who is our victim… detective?"

"Do you even remember what we are doing?! Sheesh….!"

"Oohhh! I remember now! We're looking for the culprit! Let's look inside the toilet now!" Nozomi said.

"That's not wrong, but that's not quite right either! Remember what we have to do to be able to summon it…."

"Eh? We just need to get in the toilet, knock on one of the door's stall and call out, 'Hanako-chan, are you there?' ….. right?" Nozomi replied.

"That's what the myth says…silly, but look now, do you think that would just happen out of nowhere?!"

"We just need to hear her reply like 'I'm here!'….. right?"

"That's true too… but then again Nozomi! I really doubt for it to work that way… we need to know what we need to have her respond to us…."

"Hmm…. bad marks?"

"Yes! It is one of the clues that match with each of the victim's testimony!"

"Then, I don't need to study for the next exam, got it!"

"No-no-no, you silly girl! No one is slacking here! We just need to find someone else to do it for us while we watch from her back! That's why I'm put up that girl…" Eli points to an illustration of someone specific—one little girl with twin-tails and black hair.

"Niko-chan?"

"Yes, exactly, Nozomi… we will use her as our bait…"

"Oooh! I love that idea!" Nozomi said enthusiastically.

"But you will have to be the one that does the talking, I don't want to talk to her about this…."

"Hnn…Ericchi, you're just bad at it, huh?"

"N-No! I just…well…don't want to look stupid...talking about this ghost-thing. It already makes me feel stupid, you know…"

"Hmm…it's not that stupid if you believe in it… it's exciting, you just have to look at it differently…"

"It doesn't make it any better, just…. I don't want to talk to her…. you do it…"

"Alright-alright, I get it Ericchi!" Nozomi giggled to her,

"Putting aside that you made this huge mind-map just for this case…." Nozomi glanced to the board,

"I didn't make it for this case! I just feel—someone is too pathetic to do things right!"

"Are you talking about me, Ericchi? My! How cruel!" the purplenette giggled.

"S-Shut up! You can always tell her that you made it!"

"She will think I'm a very organized person… I'm not… right?"

"You are from now on…. I'll make you into one… starting from the smallest detail…" Eli said surely as she looked at Nozomi's uniform—not so tidy and not so messy. With all the buttons unattached, her white shirt disheveled and skirt slightly crumpled.

Noticing the glance from the azure eyes, the turquoise eyed girl began to realize…

"E-Erichi…?"

* * *

The Idol Club-room, Otonokizaka High-school;

Eli and Nozomi stood right in front of the door as they noticed a noise play on from inside the room—an incredibly not friendly kind of noise. The two are in an extremely neat uniform, with perfectly tied and polished shoes. They are holding a journal and absence books on their arm and a pen hanging on their coat's pocket.

They know someone is bickering with some people, and not for a good reason too.

"….listen, Niko… I really don't want to hurt you, but, really? Dragging us here just to make a show to the student council?"

"…you cannot continue this club alone, Niko-chan, don't you have any shame?"

"I have hope on the juniors! You all don't need to join in! You just need to help me out, this time! Please!" said the familiar voice.

"We really are not going to do this for you, Niko-chan. I mean…listen, you have bad grades… you really should focus on studying instead of being an idol…. It's not cool if you are left behind in class…" said the other girl.

"It's not because we don't care, ok? It's because we care…." Said the other.

Then just right after it was said, Eli decided to open the door without even bothering to knock politely.

"I suppose you are ready with the test…" she said coldly as she steps into the room. Niko and the other girls seemed to be very astonished with her. Niko was about to say something, though knowing that it's Eli and she is the student council president—who has all the right to enter their room without anyone's permission.

"Hehe…sorry to come without ringing the alarm, she just doesn't want you all to fake anything….so that's why we are here by surprise…" Nozomi said calmly—trying to justify the act that her friend just did.

"I've told her yesterday that I will come to make the test… I'm not sorry for doing this…" Eli replied—still coldly.

"Sheesh, Ericchi… come on now… we're in still the same grade as them. We're not supposed to be teaching her how to be rude like this…" Nozomi whispered,

"No one is teaching her, either way…. I want them to show me what they have now…"

Nozomi sighed at her, then her eyes turned to the concerned girls and to the black haired girl who seemed to be nervous.

"Just tell us what you all are doing in the club…" Nozomi asked politely to them.

Then when the girls are about to answer…

"I want the president of the club to talk for her members…" Eli said.

Understanding the purpose, Nozomi smiled faintly at her then back into looking at the black haired girl—expecting her to not screw it up.

"Well…we're school idols, we are here to dance and have fun with everyone. We're aiming to get a popularity as much as the recently debuted one from UTX, A-Rise…." Niko replied confidently,

"Is that so? Then, please tell me what kind of benefit do we get from it?" Eli asked again,

"A-rise has made the UTX popular and they're mostly become the reason why their school's applicant number raises…"

"I see, so I suppose everyone is ready to show me an example of your group's dance?" Eli asked again—which bothers Nozomi because she knows that it won't go well.

"E-Ericchi…we don't have much time…" Nozomi said,

"Five minutes…. that's all the time I will give you…" Eli insisted.

Then the girls and Niko herself remain unmoving until they realized that they really should do something.

"N—…." Niko is about to start,

"We can't…." one of the girls cut in…

Eli and Nozomi quickly turn their attention towards the girl.

"It's embarrassing, ok?" the girl said again.

No one responds, though Eli seemed to remain to give all her attention to the girl while Nozomi began to give them concerned looks,

"….being her background dancer and singer, singing her name over and over with terrible lyrics… the music isn't even that interesting…" said the girl again,

"….I really don't want to say all that… you know…." the girl continued again.

Eli and Nozomi remained still in their place, looking at Niko who seemed to try her best to hold her tears.

"To hell with her grades, it doesn't matter. We don't even care about her, not a single bit. Who likes a selfish narcissistic girl like her?" she raised her voice before she stomped out of the room. The other girl who is still clenching her fist, decided to talk as well,

"We're trying so hard to not hurt her feelings, but we want it to stop for the best of everyone…"

Eli and Nozomi remained quiet while Niko still tried her best to not cry.

"….we know that we can't tell her all that, we're trying to be polite… to lie about it and be well with her… but I suppose it just can't go that way. This is a mess that you're trying to put on us, Niko, once again, we don't want to help you with keeping this club running, if it has to be demolished, then let it be… perhaps there are better things to do out there…" the other girl also left and Niko remained in her place, she began to not be able to hold her tears—not even daring herself to wipe it on her own.

As the two girls left completely, Nozomi and Eli stood on their place, doing nothing but looking at Niko…

She is still sobbing and trying hard to look tough until Eli decided to break the silence,

"I'm still waiting for three minutes…" she said.

 _Ericchi_ _…_ _. what are you trying to do_ _…_

Nozomi asked in her mind…

 _I_ _'_ _m so lost here_ _…_ _what_ _'_ _s the point of doing this? Are you trying to save her or are you trying to shove her down to the cliff?_

Then she began to observe the blonde's eyes. Cold and Mysterious, but there's a hint of caring in her eyes…

 _Please tell me what do you want to do_ _…._

She said again in her own mind.

The three minutes passed, yet Niko still doing nothing but holding her cry.

Eli sighed heavily and she just walked to the door by herself,

"If that is what you want to display to the society about what an idol club can do, then let me tell you that no one here lives from other's pity… crying in front of me and begging for this club to be not closed down will do nothing. You have to work on something else…." She said coldly before she grabs the door's handle,

"I'm leaving this case to you Nozomi, I will have to take care of the other clubs…" Eli said as she throws her journal to Nozomi then leaves with only a pen and absence book.

Still clueless about it, Nozomi decided to remain quiet as she examines the journal while waiting for Niko to calm down.

As she looks through, she noticed that Eli has prepared a few papers that folded neatly inside her journal. It says,

 _Club Name changing form_.

 _A Name changing form?_

Nozomi thought,

 _Could it be_ _…._

She tried to think of something…

 _Ohh! I get it! What a wonderful idea, Ericchi_ _…_ _you could_ _'_ _ve become a criminal mastermind this way!_

 _Uh…_ _wait_ _…_ _that_ _'_ _s not quite right_ _…_

 _I mean_ _…._

 _Maybe she can do something that's related to this club that she is trying to protect_ _…_ _with just changing the name and activities_ _…_ _she can continue without needing her_ _….uh…_ _friends_ _…_ _to help her_ _…_ _. Then_ _at the same time, we can_ _…._

Nozomi looked at the note that Eli attached on the page where she kept the name changing form. Telling Nozomi to not forget about what they need from her…

… _.convince her to help us with our problem_ _…._

She nodded slightly.

 _But…_ _sheesh_ _…_ _I feel bad for doing this, after all Ericchi did to her I mean_ _…_

 _Why do_ _es she have to be that harsh? It could_ _'_ _ve been_ _—….._

Nozomi paused.

… _.ah…_ _she was like me after all_ _…_ _maybe there_ _'_ _s something from her that bothers her a lot and she can_ _'_ _t help to not react like that towards her_ _…._

 _Perhaps because idols are related to dancing?_

 _What's with Ericchi and dancing?_

 _I surely need to pry a bit about that later_ _…._

 _But maybe not so soon_ _…_

 _Either way_ _…_ _. I have to talk to this girl first!_

 _Hopefully, what I think right now is the same with what Ericchi might_ _'_ _ve planned for her._

"Are you ok with some talking now?" Nozomi asked kindly.

"I'm fine…!" Niko forcing a reply.

"Then, let me say this once to you, Niko-chan… It's ok for you to have passion in something, but it's bad if you're forcing yourself too much. I'm not encouraging you to stop, but I want you to think of a way to keep yourself around what you are fond of…." Nozomi said as she placed the name changing form on the table placed in the corner of the room.

"Maybe it will give you a little idea, but… perhaps, watching an idol dancing is like watching a circus. Some of the audience probably would want to be in it, but some just prefer to be on their seats and be entertained. In other words, you don't have to be able to be what you love, but you can always be their support…." She continued again as she looked into Niko who seemed to focus on what she just placed on the table.

"Then…. Being in this school gives you a main task— to learn about all the given topic, getting fairly enough marks, and then graduate… it's not wise to forget all that…. even if you're here not by your will, it still doesn't change the fact that you are still bound into those task…"

"Talking like an adult, aren't you?" Niko said—somewhat in an annoyed tone,

Nozomi smiled faintly,

"Heh, not really. I'm just saying that because I know who I am… perhaps all you need is to understand your place after all. But if I am to be adult-like, I would've forced you to get decent grades. I never said you should, just getting good enough marks is fine… After all, being in school is not simply just to be after good marks, right?"

Niko raised her eyebrow, confused with what Nozomi is exactly trying to tell her.

"I wonder if you knew, but… I heard there are a few people who're willing to help you study… perhaps you can ask around for that? Some said it's guaranteed decent grades and doesn't require as much hard work as studying on your own…" Nozomi asked.

"Huh? You must be joking, right? I've heard that rumor before…"

"Really? How did you learn it?" Nozomi asked in enthusiasm.

"Back then before we were taking test, there was this rumor that flew around… it said that we can change our fate with grades if we go into the school at 4:44 PM, carrying the subject that we cannot do… then, we go to the bathroom, knock on the stall's door three times, and then call upon that girl…Hanako…. If she answers, we will promise to return again to complete the pact at 4:44 AM…."

 _I_ _'_ _ve never heard of that rumor_ _…._

Nozomi thought,

"I think it's fishy, because… truth be told, people who have decent grades never have that rumor roam around them… nor hearing it… so I thought, maybe it really is just a stupid prank…. I mean, no one goes to the school after midnight, right? It's just stupid…" Niko continued,

"I do realize that we have to work hard for our own lives… I won't do such a thing…." She said again as she turns her face away.

 _Nnngghhh…_ _.she is actually not that stupid_ _…_ _I mean_ _…_ _hey_ _…_ _she did use her logic_ _….._

Nozomi thought again,

 _Ericchi would have agreed with her, but really_ _… it_ _'_ _s not whats supposed to happen_ _…_ _I need to use her as bait for Hanako-chan to appear_ _—_ _so that we can get some explanation out of her!_

"Well, you never know if you don't try… I mean, you're in a real need of good grades, right? Just imagine how much people will appreciate if you're getting good grades…maybe they will want to join to the club…"

"Now, didn't you make contradict to your own point? You said we don't need good grades—we just need good enough grades to pass… I can study my ass off for it…" Niko said.

"That's true… but…really, it's not that bad to ask help from others. I didn't say it has to be from Hanako-chan… she just… an instant way to do it…" Nozomi replied.

"Oh…."

"But now that you mention that you can study your ass off for bringing up your grades, did you not study before?" Nozomi smiled teasingly,

"W-Well! N-Not quite! I…I mean… not really… I was…sort of busy…. You know…. idol stuff…."

"Ooh….so you're blaming your own activity now?" Nozomi asked again,

"N-No! I'm just… uh…busy!"

"Hmmm…. I see… then, I suppose, you will have to choose the instant way somehow?" Nozomi glared at the little girl, she could see all the doubt in her as she speaks for herself.

"I…I told you, there's no way of me to try the instant way! I'll just study my ass off for it, ok? Just watch me!"

"Sure, that's your decision anyway, I was just trying to help you…." Nozomi replied—still with a teasing smile on her face.

* * *

The Otonokizaka-Highschool, Art Club's room;

Nozomi arrived to the club's room and started to look for the specific blonde—which she found to be in the middle of a conversation with the leader of the club.

As she approach them she only managed to listen to a few part of their conversation…

"….think you can manage to put it as a show?" Eli asked,

"…I don't know, president. It seems hard to make something like that happen, but we can try…"

"…the only thing I want to know about is how and who is the victim that will fall into it, I don't really need it to be too artistic, just to make it seem realistic is enough…."

"Between realities and art, that's what we've been working on, President, but really… don't give us that much hope, we're afraid we can't meet your expectation…"

"I'm not worried… as long as you actually try…"

"Very well, president, then we shall work swiftly…" said the Art Club's leader before she headed to give the announcement to the members...

"Ericchi, what are you trying to do?" Nozomi asked,

"I'm just trying to make a remake of an incident. The newspaper you brought, gave me something that makes me really curious…" Eli replied.

"What is it?"

"About the possibility of it being a prank, it's not that I don't believe in you or your spiritual thing. I've seen things with my own eyes, but I still want to know the truth. There are just too many things mysteriously placed in the latest incident…"

"Eh? Well…I know nothing about it, care to explain?" Nozomi asked.

"Simple, the last incident, the time when the victim was poured by a bucket of red paint is at the time after she left her classroom—which will be in the second floor…"

"The second floor? So she is a second year? A junior?"

"Yes, but that detail isn't important, whats important is…first, she may not be the lowest rank in her grade, but she is the lowest from her class. Perhaps our theories about it requires something else as a curse is accurate, but then, the other fact that we need to know is, how she made the pact with her…."

"Niko just told me that there was a rumor flying around her about Hanako-chan, but its strange because people who're not troubled with their grade never know about it. I didn't know either and I don't even know that my made up confession was actually something true…"

"So it came from a rumor, huh? Did she agree to help?" Eli asked,

"I didn't actually ask for help, but maybe she will do it anytime soon, knowing that she is in a pinch….i just gave her a little push…"

"You tricked her?" Eli raised her eyebrows,

"Eh…how else can I do it? I don't really know how to talk about it… besides, I'm still not sure if it works or not…"

"Just a talk as usual would do it, right?"

"I don't think so, she isn't that stupid…and doesn't look that cooperative either." Nozomi replied with a wry smile,

"Listen up, Nozomi. It might take about an hour for the art club to remake the incident that I asked them to off Which means, it will be around 4 before we can leave here today… we don't have much time to look for her if there's a chance of her to look for that actual thing…I mean, there's only two of us and there are about four toilets around the school… we can't possibly wait her in every single toilet…."

"We can always ask the spirit… or my cards…" Nozomi replied.

Eli sighed,

"Fine…"

"Sheesh…Ericchi, you're too worked up… just rely on me a bit, will you?"

"Putting that aside, Nozomi… we should go look around for a bit while waiting for the art club to finish…"

"Where should we go next, Ericchi?"

"I finished with most of the clubs, there should be more tomorrow—but we don't need to worry about them today… just relax and make sure you're always ready if there's anything that needs to be done by two of us together…."

"Hmmm..I like how that sounds…. Something to be done by two of us…together…." Nozomi smiled teasingly.

"I'm not going to play along with that…" Eli replied somewhat coldly.

"Spoilsport…" Nozomi pouts.

"Whatever…." Eli replied again as she leaves her place. Nozomi followed after her as Eli explored the room, examining each of the art work that was displayed around the room. She seemed to be interested in each one, though there's no word that escaped out of her lips.

"Say…Ericchi, do you like art?"

"It sounds a little dumb when you ask it like that…." Eli replied.

"Hmm…Why?" Nozomi asked,

"Simply, because everything that we use right now is a form of art… it just a matter of what kind of art…"

"Then I assume you like art….?" Nozomi replied with a somewhat teasing smile,

Eli sighed heavily…

"Yes….I do…." She replied.

"Am I awkward…?" Nozomi asked playfully.

"Yes you are…" Eli replied again.

"Thanks, you are awkward too, Ericchi!" Nozomi replied playfully again.

"I don't get you…" Eli once again replied as she stopped at a specific work of art. It looked like a vortex, but it's not quite a vortex as it appears to have something that stuck out of the center— now that she thinks of what it resembles….

"A flower….?" Eli raised her eyebrow.

"Hmm…? Vortex Flower?" Nozomi said as she also looks into what Eli has her focus on.

For a moment there, Nozomi had no idea why the blonde suddenly took an interest into the flower, though as she tried to look more closely, she began to realize that something feels very off about it. It's like there's something inside it—something as fade as a soul, which she used to look at every day.

But the longer she looked at , the more faded the souls looked. She started to not be able to feel anything on it anymore—instead, she could feel something is off with her friend again…

Her eyes went blank and her gesture seemed different.

"Ericchi? Are you ok?" Nozomi asked.

"…..she's calling me…." Eli whispered all of a sudden. Her voice also seemed to be slightly different than usual…

"E-Eeehh!? Ericchi?!"

"Three times knock on the stall's door before calling my name….. I can hear it…." Eli mumbled again before she headed out in a hurry.

"W-Wait! E-Ericchi!"

* * *

Otonokizaka High-school's hallway;

Eli, who walked so quickly was hardly to be stopped. Nozomi—having no idea of what exactly happened to her can't be so sure about what to do.

 _Did she get possessed again?_

She thought.

 _But why is she possessed all of a sudden?! I mean_ _…_ _she didn_ _'_ _t even touch the strange flower!_

She continued in her mind.

 _In all seriousness though!_

Nozomi decided to run to catch up with her.

 _Why does she get possessed so easily?! Was it because her mind went blank? But I doubt that_ _'_ _s the case! She should be thinking of something before she was possessed!_

 _There must be something else_ _…_ _something that makes most of the ghosts attracted to her presence_ _…._

 _I hope it is not because she is beautiful though_ _…_

 _I mean_ _…_ _.she is too perfect, even for me_ _…._

 _She could get any kind of girl she wanted_ _…_ _. or so I think_ _…_

 _Unlike me_ _…_ _.who could get any kind of rejection..._

 _I_ _'_ _m too used to getting_ _reject_ _ed_ _…._

Nozomi slowed down without realizing,

 _Hnmm…_ _sometimes I think I_ _'_ _m expecting too high_ _…._

 _How disgusting…_

She stopped.

 _Why am I chasing after someone that can_ _'_ _t possibly be mine_ _…?_

 _All the teasing that I did to her_ _…_ _. that's just a part of my wish to have an actual girlfriend_ _…_

 _Such a loser_ _…_ _.I treated that as a joke because I_ _'_ _m too shy to admit the truth_ _…._

 _Ah…no…_ _. I have to put that thought aside for now, she is probably in danger_ _…_

 _I_ _'_ _m doing this because I want to be her friend, not her_ _girlfriend_ _…_

 _I mean_ _… it_ _'_ _s enough right? We don_ _'_ _t have to go that way_ _…_ _even though we both know that we_ _'_ _re into girls_ _…._

Nozomi decided to continue looking again.

 _Now I lost her, good job_ _…me…._

 _Seriously_ _…_ _. I hate myself at times like this_ _…_

 _It_ _'_ _s pathetic...that even after I found someone who_ _'_ _s in the same sexual orientation with me, she is not into me_ _…._

 _I know I shouldn_ _'_ _t just judge her like that, but_ _…_ _from the way she always brushes my jokes off_ _…._

 _Not to mention she was flirting with_ _me yesterday—_ _for fun too perhaps?_

 _There_ _'_ _s no way of her to do it for real. I have nothing to offer to her while she_ _…_ _has everything I wanted_ _…_

 _Aahh…_ _too perfect_ _…._

 _Uh… focus, Me… focus… let_ _'_ _s look for her before anything bad happens_ _…. Uhm…._

 _Where can I start now_ _….?_

She thought to herself as she started to look around.

A faint transparent light flew through the hallway—it looks like a common soul, alright, but there's a lot of chance of it knowing where Eli might've gone. Nozomi decided to catch up to the soul and as she got closer to her…

"Excuse me…" the purplenette said,

The soul turned around,

"You can see me….?" the soul asked.

"Yes—but that doesn't matter, I just want to ask if you have seen a blonde haired girl going somewhere this way?"

"Ohh…. The new student council President? Well… she just passed through the hall way, probably going to the bathroom with Hanako-chan…"

"E-Ehhh?! H-Hanako-chan?" Nozomi tried to confirm.

"Yep, hehe… she seemed happy …maybe the new student council president is helping her?"

"Helping her with what?" Nozomi asked,

"Uhm…I don't know…honestly. Hanako-chan likes to travel around and she always talks about a mission, but I don't understand what exactly she is doing….why don't you ask her yourself?" the soul replied.

"Do you think I can talk with her, huh?"

"Eh—you can talk with anyone, it's just a matter of how you approach them or how they react to you… but, in all honesty though, you're pretty infamous while the student council president is famous…"

"Me…infamous?" Nozomi tried to confirm.

"Sort of… for many reasons, but one of it is because you're too arrogant as a human being…" the soul replied calmly.

"Then, are you scared of me?" I asked.

"I have nothing to do with you, besides, you were asking for a favor… knowing you are capable of seeing me, then you must have a higher tier of spiritual power than common exorcists, so I want to help you out…"

Nozomi tilt her head slightly, wondering if there's anything special from being able to see souls. For the first few seconds, she tried to examine what exactly the soul has on her…

White kimono, pale skin, black hair, blue eyes, faint white fogs surrounded her—that was the time when Nozomi realizes that she is not the usual kind of soul. A legend, she may say…

"S-Snow girl?!" Nozomi asked.

"Ssssh! Not so loud… the other will hear…." The soul said.

"E-Ehh?! But why are you here?!" Nozomi asked again,

"I don't know… but… the last thing I heard before I was here…. Hmm… it was something about the door between our worlds are cracking…. and then... we started to swap our places with mortals…"

"W-w-whaaatt!?" Nozomi replied loudly.

"Ssshh! Not so loud!" the snow girl said.

"W-Wait, then… how could you be in a soul form…?"

The snow girl giggled,

"Simple…. We just need to kill the host…"

"That's not a solution! Sheesh!" the purplenette yelled.

"Eeeh…? No?"

"Now you better help me to get Hanako-chan before she kills my Ericchi!"

"Hehehe… Don't worry, she and Hanako-chan aren't going to merge… Hanako-chan just wants to borrow her a bit I guess…"

"W-What do you mean, borrow her a bit?!"

"She always wanted to have friends…so maybe her idea is just to help others! Isn't that good?"

"It's not! What if she decides to take Ericchi's life so she gets to befriend her?!"

"Hnnggg…. Being dead isn't that bad…."

"It is bad! For me at least!" Nozomi said loudly.

"But why?"

"We didn't get to touch each other yet! We didn't get to trade our love and all! She didn't even look at me now!"

"Ooohh! You're in love… hmm-hmm… interesting… that's surely a positive side of being alive…"

"Don't just say that! Please help me find her!"

"Ehehe…I got it…I got it…. just walk through this hallway and I'll call you when I find her…"

* * *

Nozomi did just like what she was asked to,

She keeps walking through the hallway, setting her ears open to listen to any kind of noise and sharpen her instincts for any kind of aura that would probably be the one she is currently after…

Then to wait for the snow girl to appear and call after her….

It's sort of frustrating as she couldn't actually detect her presence—not now at least.

When Nozomi looked around the hallway, she noticed that someone has been stalking her by now. She believes that it is not a coincidence for someone to be around her. Who wants to be at school after 4 PM?

But now that it was mentioned, supposedly, this is the hours when she was supposed to be looking for Niko and see if she actually does it.

When she passed through the toilet…she noticed that a strong presence inside and its probably not quite peaceful either. She decided to enter the room—without any single doubt in her…

Then when she managed to reveal what was inside…

Her eyes opened wide in her surprise…

Eli is floating in the mid-air, she seemed to be unconscious while a little girl with black hair—Niko cowered right in front of her.

"Ericchi! Niko-chan!" she shouted—taking attention to the Eli who seemed to be still unconscious and yet controlled over by a force that she can't see.

"H-Hey! Y-You! H-Help me!" Niko cried,

"You're having trouble with science… right…?" A voice that she never heard before…coming out from the unconscious Eli.

"Answer me first, are you Hanako-chan?" Nozomi asked.

"Yes…that I am…" the voice replied.

"Why did you take Ericchi?" Nozomi asked,

"She…? Well…she is loved by everyone…so I suppose… using her will make things easier… but… this big girl refused to cooperate….then she began to reject me from her body at the time I offered help to the little girl…I had to put her consciousness down…."

"That's not good, Hanako-chan! You don't just take people to help you with that!" Nozomi said.

"How else do I get friends?" she replied,

"Why would you want friends? You don't belong here!" Nozomi said

As she said that, no one seemed to answer…

Until a few second passed, Hanako disappeared along with the unconscious Eli.

"No!" Nozomi tried to grab her, though she was a lot faster to fade.

 _No…_ _this can_ _'_ _t be!_

The purplenette said in her mind as she cringed bitterly.

 _How can I find her now? I don_ _'_ _t know where she might be_ _…_

She said again.

Niko, who is still clueless about what exactly happened stood up and kept her eyes on the busty girl. For the first few seconds, she would just retreat…but…looking at how much the other girl seemed to be in trouble….

"Oi… are you ok?" Niko asked.

"O..Oh….Sorry…I was…spacing out a bit…" Nozomi replied with an obvious fake smile.

"Do you need help?" Niko asked again.

"H-help….? N…No…not really… you've done your part…." Nozomi replied—somewhat awkwardly.

"I can do this myself… thanks though…." Nozomi replied quickly before she left the room swiftly.

Niko raised her eyebrows, wondering what might've gone wrong with her…

* * *

In a hurry, Nozomi scanned through every traces in the school,

She even asked many single souls about what they may have seen or what they know about Hanako, but they all gave her the same information,

 _Hanako-chan is lonely…_ _Hanako-chan likes to have friends_ _…_ _.Hanako-chan wants to have a friend_ _…_

Then when they were asked about where she might be,

 _Hanako-chan likes to adventure across the country_ _…it_ _'_ _s impossible to figure out where she would probably be right now._

And those words are enough to make the purplenette cry in worry. She might've failed to save someone—or perhaps, she was the one who caused it.

If only she didn't act like a fearless hero, she could've at least made some deal with the ghost, just like how she did back then.

 _Have I not learned my lesson? Why did I do this again?_

She thought.

 _I shouldn't_ _have_ _act_ _ed that way towards her_ _…_ _. this is all my fault_ _…_ _.and if anything happens to her_ _…_ _.I will never forgive myself_ _…. But…_ _. what can I really do?_

She continued to move in a hurry, scanning through every corner in the school. While doing so, her eyes met with a familiar soul and she decided to approach her,

"Hey you…. Snow Girl…" she said with all informality.

"My…Aren't you rude to call me out like that… Even though I look young, I'm way older than you…." the snow girl replied.

Hearing the complaint, Nozomi stared into the snow girl with guilt on her face,

"Sorry, I was too panicked, it just came out of my mouth…"

The Snow Girl giggled,

"I understand, you've never really had a friend, huh? Then tell you what, even though you're a good friend of someone, it's much better if you can adjust on who you're talking with… maybe you can talk that way towards people who don't mind, but you have to not do that towards people who mind it… I mind so don't talk to me like that…" she replied.

"I…I see… Sorry…well, uh…. Snow Girl, have you seen Hanako-chan? She took Ericchi!"

"Uhm…? She took that cool president? Then, she probably has gone to our realm by now… if you want her body, you need to wait until midnight… she probably will just show up in the bathroom…"

"W-wait a minute there… when you said, body…do you mean… the soulless kind of body?" Nozomi asked in fear,

"Uhm…of course, do you think Hanako-chan will return her soul? She is such a cool girl, I bet everyone in the realm will like her…" Snow Girl replied.

"Oh—You have got to be joking me! Please return her to me—along with her soul!"

"Hehe… is that ok if we return it separately?"

"No!" Nozomi yelled.

"But she seems fun… we like her…"

"We…? Are you their ally?!"

"We all are allies with each other… we have respect and all…"

"Putting that aside,… If she truly is in that other realm! You have to somehow take me there!"

"Hnn….don't you know the consequence of it? If you are in there for too long, you and your body will split… and you might not be able to return here again as a living being…"

"How long I can stay?!" Nozomi asked.

"I wouldn't know, you have to ask to the Demon King…by default, every living being who traveled there are given at least six hours…"

"The Demon King…. Dai-Mao?" Nozomi asked,

"Yep… I'm surprised that you know him…"

"I've met him before…" Nozomi replied.

"Y-Y-You did?! That's even more surprising! What did you do?" The Snow Girl asked,

"Skip the details, if I have to face him once again, then please… help me…." Nozomi said in all seriousness.

The Snow Girl remain quiet as she saw how serious Nozomi is right now, part of her felt touched, but part of her started to question— what kind of girl is Nozomi…? Will it be troublesome if she helps her? Putting that aside, there was something before and it probably will be solved if she somehow gets to know with the relationship between the two.

Maybe… it really isn't wrong to help out a stranger?

* * *

The Underworld;

The traveling didn't take long and they arrived in front of the castle immediately. Apparently, the Snow girl is a common patron of the area. There are big creatures everywhere, but not to forget about the smaller ones as well, where some are more faded and hard for Nozomi to see.

She doesn't remember the place to be as crowded, but perhaps it was because she didn't have as much spiritual power as now.

When she takes a step inside the castle— the souls around her seemed to ignore her existence, perhaps it's because she is coming along with the Snow Girl. But then again, It was also pretty common for other souls to bring living beings into this world.

The castle looks like an ancient temple, but more grand than the biggest one on earth. The decorations were excellent and the guard looks a hundred times scarier than what she could imagine,

When they both arrived at the throne room, the guard didn't bother to acknowledge the two. Once the two stops in front of the giant ancient looking armor—no… there's someone big and scary inside that armor, with big fierce teeth displayed inside his mouth and yellow eyes under the shade of his helmet,

"Hmm…." A huge trembling voice boomed out of the armor sitting on the big throne.

"…have we met before…?" He asked.

"Dai-Mao… it's me, Nozomi Toujou…."

"Nozomi Toujou….." the armor put some thought to the name…

"Ah… you're that little girl…." He continued—and his voice somewhat became friendly. Making the Snow Girl get more and more curious about their relationship.

"I'm here to look for my friend right now…. nothing else…." Nozomi replied.

"Hmmm….." His voice faded as he changed his sitting position,

"Who is this…friend of yours… is it another dead being?"

"No, she is alive… her name is Ayase Eli. One of your residence took her….and I heard that she is probably here…."

"Ayase….Eli….huh?" The King said as he makes another thought of the name.

"I've heard the name, but I'm not quite sure of it. Who is the one who took her?" He asked again,

"Hanako-chan… Hanako-chan who likes to linger in the toilet…" Nozomi said.

The king snorted all so sudden,

"Pardon me, Toujou, can you just not call her like that… ?" He asked with a chuckle.

"I'm being serious now. That's how we Earth people call her…" Nozomi replied.

"Ah–very well, whatever suits you… but I'm sorry, I cannot help you that much. She has never stayed in one place for too long, nor does she visit the area in a pattern. She always goes around at her own will…" The King replied.

Nozomi began to dread after the response given to her, and then again looked up at him,

"Is there really nothing I can do? I need to find her as soon as possible! She might be in danger!"

"Hnmm…. What is this… danger… you're talking about, Toujou? Are you afraid of her to join us sooner than what you think?" He asked again.

"She still has so much to do… we just… well… we just started our friendship… it isn't that good yet, but… I….. I want to work on it…"

"Then…what is your exact problem with her dying? You can see us, you can communicate with us… why not with her? It could be better…" The King replied again.

"You don't understand…" Nozomi replied again,

"She is in love, my Majesty, she wants her red thread to be linked…" The Snow Girl said.

"Then, unite in death, it will last longer…" The King replied again.

"It's different, my Majesty, it's hard to explain her feelings right now… but I'm pretty sure you will understand if you ask your wife…" the Snow Girl replied. Then suddenly the King coughed dramatically,

Flustered by what's exactly wrong with 'wife' in his interpretation, Nozomi remains quiet as she knows that the conversation will probably be in her favor right now—thanks to the Snow Girl.

"Uurgh….hmm…alright… then….can anyone just show me how this Ayase Eli looks like?" The King asked, and then suddenly, a soul approached him and showed him a picture of her—which is still unknown as to where it exactly came from. Even Nozomi doesn't have her picture!

"Very well …if you really insist… there might be something I can help you with… though, I would want to renew our contract…" the king said again.

"How does this re-new work then?" Nozomi asked.

"You're still on the same task, but I am no longer putting your family on the bet… each time you have failed your mission…or ignored an important task which you needed to solve, I will cut your friend's life by halves…"

Hearing that, Nozomi widen her eyes in surprise,

"Wait a minute there, even with my family, you're only cutting their age by the minute, how could you be cutting her life by halves? It's too much!" she protested,

"You should've been happy with that kindness, it helped you to finish our contract sooner… I get a feeling that your relation with her is still as shallow as a koi pond, it won't be that bad to lose her…" The King replied.

"Ridiculous!" Nozomi protested again.

"If you don't want that, then I have nothing else to offer… I have to let you down…."

"At least make it easier! I'm not a professional!" Nozomi replied again.

"It's the cheapest trade I can offer to you. I can always make it in an instant if I wanted to… Besides, don't you always want to be free? That's one of my ways to help you out…you can do it in less than a day if you like… or within years if you want to somehow look a lot like a friend to her…she will never know…." He replied again.

Nozomi remain quiet, it seemed that somehow—this Dai Mao that she knows is currently trying to find his way to somehow have her Ayase Eli. It makes her wonder, what kind of attribute makes Eli seem so interesting? It can't be simply because of her beauty, right?

She believes that Dai Mao's wife has a lot more beauty than every living creature that exists… so of course, it's probably not about that. As curious as she is, Nozomi wanted to ask, though it will probably be disturbing if her prediction ended up to be correct.

She decides to keep silent and wonder if it will be worth all the trouble. She looked into the Snow Girl, she seemed to not say anything about the case.

"So… are you in?" The King asked again,

In all honesty, she is indeed in a desperation to look for Eli—and maybe this is her only way to do so. No one knows where exactly they might've gone off to. When the King said he might be able to do something, then he probably really will be able to do something.

Back again with her previous question to herself…

Will it be really worth it to put her friend's life at stake at the cost of the very same person's safety? It's so ridiculous that she feels like anything that will happen later will be dangerous for Eli. In other words… a lot of soul wants her die so that she joins them…

But, if she is confident right now, nothing bad will happen if she chooses to cooperate. All she need is to not make any mistakes and never fail her missions. It's like—Eli's life is in her hands now.

Perhaps…

It's not that bad to pick that choice…

As long as she doesn't know….

"Fine, I'll renew the contract…!" Nozomi said.

* * *

An hour already passed,

When Nozomi opened her eyes, she is already inside an unfamiliar building. It's in an ancient building that's made of woods and the decoration seemed to be somewhat familiar, but she has never seen it arranged in the same way.

"Toujou-san…. Toujou-san!" a recently accustomed voice called out,

"Snow Girl?" Nozomi questioned.

"Wake up… this place is scary…." She said timidly.

"How are you even scared of this place, you're one of a kind and in other words, a legend…" Nozomi replied.

"…Can you feel it? There's a weird aura…. It's so big and….feels more like a thirst than anything else…"

Nozomi stayed silent to look for what the snow girl mentioned.

She does feel something big and all, but there's nothing else other than that—especially not the thirst. Though when she keeps trying to detect the other feeling, she started to realize that there is something familiar with the aura. It was cold and sharp…. Just like….

"Ericchi….?" She called her name.

"Eh…her? What about her?" The Snow Girl asked.

"This aura…. It's Ericchi's Aura…. I can feel it…" Nozomi said as she quickly shoots up from her place.

"H-how did you know?" the Snow girl asked,

"It's so familiar, it's so obvious…to me at least…" Nozomi started to walk. The Snow girl raises her eyebrow,

"You're pretty obsessive…." She commented on the purplenette.

"Obsessive? Not really, I'm just thinking that…it is my responsibility to do this… I have to prove that I'm a friend to her…and I truly will be her friend…"

"So...what about the love thing?"

Nozomi stopped.

"Let's leave it like this… perhaps, it may look too disgusting for her…"

"What do you mean…disgusting?"

"I've realized that—…." Nozomi paused again, and then shook her head,

"No… maybe it's just me…" she continued.

"….but…to put it simply… she is like a super star… she could have anyone she wants, within seconds… and for me to try teasing her with everything…. maybe that's the reason why she keeps making a distance…and maybe I'm also the reason why she is in danger right now…or perhaps… wants to be out of her life…"

"Hnngg…I know it's stressful to live… but…. you know what, Toujou-san…." The snow girl smiled at her faintly,

"…if that's the only amount of confidence you have, you'll never have anyone for yourself..." the Snow girl continued again.

"….to begin with…maybe she is right about everyone being born to be alone… everyone lives on their own feet and it's never going to be the opposite…" the snow girl once again continued as she moves herself next to Nozomi,

"…but really, what's the point of you to be capable of socializing with others if not because so you could ask for help or give help in return? How could you expect someone to believe you if you cannot believe others?"

"Believing others…. Huh? What if that just gives me fake hope…just like how it was…?"

"Mmm…. I see, so you're scared to believe in others… yet you seemed to be a religious person…it's strange for you to have that trust issue…"

"God never leaves me alone…while humans… well… they come and go…." Nozomi replied.

"Then just do the same, believe in others, you will never know until you try, right? It's not like everyone is always the same…and I know that deep inside your heart, you're saying out loud that this Ayase Eli is a whole different person than the usual people you meet… that's why you're here—after her…and it wasn't simply because it's your responsibility, right? "

"I have a heating feeling with her, remember?" Nozomi replied.

"Trust me, you're not the only one… yet you've made this far and it's impressive for a starter…" the Snow girl giggled,

"Then to remember that she is not the only hottie in this world… people could always have shallow feelings about her. They just like the person and nothing else, while you… well… you like her, you admit it, and you're chasing after her… don't give up and stop just because you think you're not worth anything—make yourself worth something for her and this is your chance to do so…" she continued again.

Hearing that, the purplenette smiled faintly,

"You're right… then I really should go after her now… thanks—I can't believe my motivation went down after coming this far…" she said to the Snow Girl.

"I can't blame you… I know that feeling because the cold was what killed me too… if only I didn't lose my hope that time, I could've reached a cottage and be safe…."

"So you're saying I'm dealing with coldness, right?"

"Hehe, yup, that's how cold kills, you may not realizes it but they will eventually put your motivation down and take your breath away as you sleep…so that's why you just need to keep going…"

"Hmm...isn't someone say she was scared a while ago? Now you look the opposite…" Nozomi asked,

"E-Eh…well … this aura is still scary for me… I'm really bad at this so… yes, lead the way, Toujou-san!"

The Snow Girl said energetically.

"Alright…don't wander off on your own…."

They explored the area,

It was easy for them to identify each area since for some reason—Nozomi felt like she knew the pattern of area while the Snow Girl said that she is somewhat familiar with the area as well. Even though they are still clueless about where the source of the big aura is coming from, they believe they have traveled enough time to figure out where the source might be.

When they reached the most bottom level of the place, they realized that they also reached a place where the aura is stronger than anything and there's absolutely something wrong with the rooms.

"Toujou-san, don't you think it's strange that even though this place appears to be a place that is meant for souls like me, no one wanders around here?"

"You mean… why this place is so quiet?"

"Yes!"

"Maybe it was because of the aura?"

"N…Not quite… to be honest, this kind of aura actually attracts most souls… but just not me…" The Snow Girl replied.

"I really prefer warm and fuzzy ones!" she continued again with a big smile.

Nozomi giggled at her,

"I understand… then I suppose you're not going to be after her…"

"Says who? She has the warmest heart...you see… I can sense all of it behind that snowstorm on her face…"

"Say what?" Nozomi raises her eyebrow,

"The snowstorm… when you see her face, it's like something cold and murderous, reaching out to you—though when she speaks, you just get a feeling that there's a warm stone heart waiting for you inside her… the loneliness in her eyes and the cruel words she spoke, it's like… if you are somehow able to reach her, she will obsess over you and …you know….that sort of thing which will make you feel like a queen…"

"I don't get you… I swear you were trying to push me to go after her and now you appear to be a rival?"

"Oh-come on! I'm a fair woman! I don't do bad things to others just because I want what belongs to them….There will always be enough time and chance for me…besides, she isn't the first priority for me… I really prefer…. Well, you know… one big man with a handsome face and good heart…"

"I'm glad to hear that…. Which means that I can always just shove you into those men pit if you're getting in my way…"

"Men pit?! Seriously, Toujou-san? That almost sounded like Armpit!"

"I didn't even mention arm pit there… your fault.."

"I just said it sounded like an armpit!"

Then they continue to explore further, ignoring the fact that the cold aura is getting stronger and stronger.

While they didn't expect anything to come, they suddenly heard a loud yell,

"Heeelp! Someone please heeelpp!" shouted a voice that they somewhat knew.

* * *

 **That's all for now. Gonna have to wait again for next chapter...**


	6. Ch6: The Soul of the Beast

**Sorry for the delay again..**

 **But either way, thanks for reviews/comment/faves/follows! I love it!**

 **Then, thanks to Crimson for edits.**

* * *

Nozomi couldn't be more doubtful in her current situation,

The voice she just heard is surely not someone she expects to ask for help. She believes that the voice belongs to a young little girl—like Hanako, not her friend that she knew so well.

When she approaches the voice—she cleared the fact that her ears and memory are still working perfectly. What she expected is a view of Eli, standing in front of Hanako, who seemed to be extremely scared of the blonde, who somewhat…showed off something else…

Nozomi could see the transparent soul that controlling Eli, it looked like a fox—a giant fox that was almost as big as the blonde. It has fiery nine tails, just like how they described it in myths. Despite the fire, there is a huge cold aura spreading out of her, making the wooden floor beneath her freeze.

"A Kyuubi?" Nozomi whispered to herself,

"W-Waaah! S-So scary!" The Snow Girl said as she hid behind Nozomi.

"N-Nozomi-nee-san! Please help!" Hanako quickly ran to Nozomi and hid behind her.

As flustered as she was, Nozomi tried to get to know what she is facing currently.

First of all,

She is very sure that she is her friend….Ayase Eli…one that she calls Ericchi.

Second,

She is not quite sure about the transparent soul she is looking at… a monster-like creature, with all the characteristics of many myths, but how is that even in her friend right now?

When and where did she get it?

Third,

What she will do now…?

"L-let's run, Nozomi! It's impossible for us to fight her…!" The Snow Girl said,

"Yes! Even my friends can't do anything about her!" Hanako added.

But despite that, Nozomi just knew that she cannot leave her alone, she has to somehow be able to make her return to her senses...

"I can't…. I have to take her back!" Nozomi replied.

"But you can't! You better save yourself!" The Snow Girl said,

"Let's just go first, Yuki-neechan!"

"E-Eh?! Leaving her?!" The Snow Girl asks.

Hanako began to yell out as she keeps pulling the snow girl with her. Unable to resist, the Snow Girl and Hanako escaped first while Nozomi was still left with Eli—who somehow has a beast lingering on her. Is it the work of the demon King? Or was it not?

But how is that even possible to not be the result of his work?

Perhaps she has been tricked after all…

Nozomi doesn't know what to do right now, the beast has been doing nothing until now…but what she supposed to do?

The two stare into each other, still doing absolutely nothing until Nozomi decided to make her move. She takes a step forward, this agitates the beast, making it growl at her.

 _How defensive!_

She thought as she quickly stops moving. But something was interesting about this is…

Despite how strong it might be and how small Nozomi probably looked in front of it, the beast doesn't make any other moves other than growling—it's like, it has no intention to harm if Nozomi isn't going any further than now.

Looking from the body—the physical body, Eli seems to be conscious but Nozomi knows she is not quite conscious, with her blue eyes shining bright and her pale skin looking a lot colder than it normally was.

It's so strange that even though it could've killed Nozomi in one bite, the beast seemed to be steady and defensive. But…to be fair...can it really could do something to Nozomi?

"It's ok… stay calm…." Nozomi said as she was about to move her feet again,

But when the beast noticed the movement, it growls again while taking a few steps back instead of going forward.

 _Ah…_ _could it be_ _….?_

Nozomi said to herself, guessing what kind of feeling it has right now,

"Don't be scared… I'm not trying to harm you…" she said again as she still carefully approaches the beast—and Eli.

Her step is careful but the beast still continues to walk backwards—it shows a very intimidating face and growl, but it doesn't seem to be brave enough to make an offensive move..

"Please…believe me…." Nozomi said gently, her hand trying to reach it,

When Nozomi got somewhat closer, the beast ran along with Eli's body who moved just the same way as how humans run, except, it's too incredibly fast for a normal human being.

"Ah!" Nozomi turned around as she watches the beast and Eli escape the place. Now she had to catch up or perhaps—start playing hide and seek with them. She quickly ran out and began to look around— as expected, Eli is already gone from the area.

With this kind of darkness and with this kind of structure, she doubts she could look around without anyone shining—like, the Snow Girl or Hanako…or perhaps Eli herself with that beast soul on her.

She had to carefully move—using her hand as her only guide into the darkness. Each step will have to be extra carefully placed, unbeknownst to when holes could make her stumble and fall in this kind of place.

Even though she didn't see any insects or anything alive other than her right now, and even though she couldn't see a single soul wander around the hall like how it usually is for a haunted place, Nozomi could feel that she, Eli, Kyuubi, Snow Girl, and Hanako aren't the only souls that exists here. It's like, there's something else and it is much bigger than each of them.

Has Dai Mao place something else in this place? Or perhaps this place has always belonged to another being?

Nozomi kept that question to herself and wishes that she could somehow find out without having to be troubled with something more today.

As she finally managed to feel the existence of a specific someone, she took a turn and sticks herself close to the wall, trying to get to know the situation. It seemed like there's nothing else happening than the two standing inside the room, looking around as if they felt something threatening them.

Nozomi decided to make her move again—and this time, she tried to make sure that the two didn't see her. She enters the room extremely quietly—sneaking through the shadows and preventing the light from the two reach her. Despite her quiet steps, Eli and The Beast seemed to notice her presence. An intimidating growl came out from them—Nozomi wasn't sure which of them actually made the sound. But looking at the physical body, she is very sure that both are very defensive right now and they could do something unpredictable.

Ignoring that possibility, Nozomi was persistent with her decision. With all of her courage, she slowly moved closer to Eli…

Then when she is close enough to reach the tail of the beast…

 _I wonder_ _…_ _can I touch that beast?_

She asked to herself before she decided to try and reach it. When her hands reached the tail, she could feel her finger touch cold air, just like how every other ghost felt…

 _Ah…I can_ _'_ _t…._

She smiled faintly.

 _Then_ _…_ _there_ _'_ _s only one thing I want to do right now_ _…_

Nozomi said in her mind before she quickly tries to reach the blonde—who unexpectedly made distance instantly,

She spoke nothing, but a furious growl on her…

"Please…don't be scared…" Nozomi said after her attempt was a total failure.

The beast—and Eli still does nothing but growl at her,

"I don't know what you are exactly, but… I want Ericchi back… that's it… so…please leave her be… let her have her life… there is still so much we can do together…"

The beast doesn't seem to be convinced, and neither does Eli. Instead of reacting to it, Eli and the beast once again escaped from the area.

"Ah! Wait! Please!" Nozomi once again had to run after—this time though, she got enough time to catch up and despite the difficulty of looking around, she keep running towards them.

"Please! Wait! Stop Running!" Nozomi shouted at them—but they just kept getting further and unseen.

Nozomi had to slow down and once again look for the person she is after…on her way, she noticed that there's a familiar looking structure with dim orange light illuminate from the hollow of the structure. For some reason, it reminded her of the well at the Shrine…

Could she be somewhere under the shrine's ground..? If it is so, then the bigger presence is probably what she expects to be… a Guardian God.

Knowing that, Nozomi felt herself gain more confidence going after the specific person. Remembering what the Snow Girl said though, she did say she could feel something big and scary… but is it the Guardian God or the Kyuubi that exists in her dearest friend?

Either way, she knows that this place probably has more favor on her. She slowly maneuvered around the place to reach the shrine and find Eli.

When she could feel another presence around her, she tried to approach carefully again,

Though it wasn't the one that she expects to be… Instead of Eli and the Kyuubi, she found the Snow Girl and Hanako, cowering in the corner of the room. She was about to ignore them—because they probably aren't that important to her…but….

"…Yuki-Nee-chan…. I'm scared… I can't even use my power anymore…." Hanako cried.

"I know…I know, Hanako-chan… please… stop crying… we can try to look for a way out instead…"

"But…seals are everywhere… We can't get out…. we will be stuck here forever…and with that Kyuubi and that scary woman…." Hanako replied,

"Toujou-san isn't that scary….she is a kind person…and she probably is our only hope to get us out of this place… after all, the Dai Mao placed me here with her because she has business with you…"

"With me…? Is it because I took her friend?"

"Not only a friend, Hanako-chan, she is also her crush…"

"A…Crush…?" Hanako tilts her head,

"Yep, she is deeply in love with the person you took…that's why she is so persistent…"

"Ah…." Hanako looked down to the ground—regretting her actions.

"I know you don't mean bad…but…next time, even though they seemed to be willing to be taken away to the realm, you should find out if they have anyone else that thinks they're important…"

"But…if that's the case, then no one can be taken to the realm…? I mean… there will always be someone who thinks people like them are important… those people just forget…"

"Hmm… can you tell me why you took her anyway?"

"Hnng…. Well…there was a time when I was just lingering around the art-room, then I saw her looking into the vortex flower. My friend was there! …my friend told me, the cold blue eyes showed depression and when I asked to my other friends… they said, she is currently wanting to die because….she was so confused about what she should feel at that time…."

"Confused….?" The Snow Girl asked.

"Yep! She said something like…. Ahh… She is following me around! Nozomi is so cute….but…no…there must be someone else better than me…. I shouldn't try….I really should not try…"

Listening from the shadows, Nozomi's heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest. She wants to believe but the other side of her can't believe what she just heard.

"…I don't even know who Nozomi is. But the next thing she said is this, '… I wish…something could just take me away from this place, I can't bare living around her anymore…It's too tormenting…'"

The Snow Girl was left speechless at how clueless Hanako is. It's clearly not a literal translation of those sentences….

"So…then I thought… This person seems cool and she seems to be liked by many… I can use her to gather more people…. But then at the time I tried it on that little girl with black hair…the cool person rebelled and I had to put her unconscious…. Then that scary woman showed up, intimidating me and I had to run away to somewhere quiet like this place….but… the cool person just suddenly woke up and a giant kyuubi appeared from her…. it's so scary!"

"Uhmm…Nozomi is…Toujou Nozomi…that scary woman you mentioned…." The Snow girl smiled faintly at her.

"Oooh! Scary! That Scary woman is in love with the cool person?! No wonder she wanted to die!"

Nozomi wish she could hit Hanako right now, but…maybe not now…

"N-No! No! You got it all wrong, Hanako-chan! Uhm… The cool person… Ayase Eli….or…uhm..called as Ericchi by the scary woman… she is also in love with her!"

"W-what?! That's scary! Did the scary woman curse her with that too?"

Snow Girl is really having a hard time explaining….

"Uhm….how do I put it…Hanako-chan…. it's uh…. a struggle…. They love each other…but they can't tell because they don't feel like they are worth it for each other…"

"I still don't get it…." Hanako replied innocently.

Nozomi smirked and she just decided to leave as she knew that The Snow Girl would try to explain again. But knowing that the two souls aren't that bad… it makes her feel better….

She once again traveled through the area—but as she is about to make a further step, suddenly the snow girl appeared right in front of her,

"Toujou-san! Wait!"

"What?" Nozomi asked.

"Please don't wander off from us, you need to protect us…"

"What do you mean protecting? I don't even know what I have to protect you from?" Nozomi replied.

"The Kyuubi, actually Hanako-chan told me before, her friends were all eaten by the Kyuubi when she was trying to fight it… it seemed to want to eat her too—and maybe I'll be the target later…"

"But…that Kyuubi seemed to be a lot more defensive…it has been running from me until now?"

"Because…you're alive…and it can't do anything to a living person… but it can do something to us!" The snow girl said,

"I see…." Nozomi nodded,

"We will try to help you with whatever you need, but please, help us as well….all we want is just to leave this place and we promise we will never bother you and your life again…"

"Why can't you leave the place again? I thought I saw the exit just nearby…?" Nozomi asked,

"Yes, but that well is sealed tight… there was something else down there—maybe it's the spirit of the lonely student who died after she jumped into the well. It's just to prevent her evil spirit from leaving…"

Nozomi lifted her eyebrows,

"If who you're talking about is the same spirit I saw before, then that can't be… the spirit left that place and I was the one who exorcised it…"

"Really? That's strange… but we swear we can still see the seal…"

"Maybe there's a leak somewhere, why don't you two look around?" Nozomi replied.

The Snow Girl put some thought into it…

"Let's just look at it, shall we?" Nozomi said as she noticed that the Snow Girl seemed to be flustered about the information.

The Three returned to the structure that looked like a well in the shrine,

Nozomi, The Snow Girl, and Hanako tried to look around for any leaks, but they couldn't find anything that showed any clue of a leak from the well. The upper, the bottom, and the sides are all sealed tight for the two legends, while Nozomi was still able to move freely around the well.

"It's really strange… I really find no leak around here either…" Nozomi said.

"Hnngg….what about the placement of the seal? Maybe you can move that away from the wall?" The snow girl asked as she holds onto Hanako's hand. Hanako remained quiet as she looked into Nozomi with full of fear in her eyes.

Nozomi nodded, and then tried to look for the seal…

"You should've told me that earlier, silly… we could've done this much earlier too…" she said as she approached the paper that stuck on the wall, and then picked it up which made the seals disappear. Hanako smiled and she quickly releases herself and floats to the well,

"Yaaay!" she cheered.

Nozomi and the snow girl smiled at her,

"Yuki-nee-chan! Come on! Let's leave before the Kyuubi is back!"

"I know...I know…." The snow girl replied as she headed to where Hanako stood. Without considering anything else, Nozomi placed the seal back on the wall, locking the Snow Girl and Hanako outside of the place.

"Bye-bye! Scary!" Hanako said innocently before she quickly leaves.

"W-wait! Hanako-chan!" the snow girl shouted.

Nozomi only smiled at the two before returning back to the dark hall way,

"W-wait! Toujou-san!" The snow girl shouted again,

Nozomi turned around to her,

"I know you're deeply in love with her…but…. are you sure….?"

"What do you mean?" Nozomi asked.

"You know….I've been thinking…. Maybe, you should just move on…" the snow girl said.

Nozomi tilts her head slightly, questioning the reason of that sort of thinking…

"…it's for your own safety…." The snow girl continued again.

Hearing that, Nozomi chuckled,

"I'll be fine, you're the one who told me that it can't do anything to me….right?"

The snow girl smiled wryly,

"There's a lot more people who needs you out there… and maybe they will appreciate it… you don't have to be someone whose special for someone, right? I mean… a kind person….will be in everyone's heart…."

Nozomi shook her head,

"Sorry….I don't want that…" she said.

The Snow Girl remains quiet to listen,

"….It's not too late yet, right?" the purplenette said with a wide fake smile.

The snow girl nodded—a hint of doubt in her eyes, but she turns herself around and floats up to the outside.

* * *

Knowing her tasks with them are finished, Nozomi returned her focus back to the dark place.

She carefully takes her steps as she moves around the area. She may not know where she is right now, but there's something that she is sure of…

Her feelings will never lie to her.

With that, she keeps searching for the specific person. And this time she is determined to surprise her once this is all over…this time though, she wants to make sure that she could corner them and force them to face her. No more running away from her own feelings.

 _Ericchi_ _…_

 _I_ _'_ _ll save you for sure_ _…_

 _Just you wait_ _…._

She said in her mind.

 _But how strong is that nine tailed fox? How could the Snow Girl and Hanako be scared of it?_

 _What will I do if it decided to fight back?_

 _Eh—_ _wait_ _…it can_ _'t touch me!_

She continued searching,

 _Honest_ _ly_ _, I_ _'_ _m so tired_ _…_ _but I_ _'_ _m very sure that I have to do this..._

 _Hmm.._

 _I wonder what will Ericchi say about this heroic action_ _?_

 _Will she praise me and all?_

 _I mean_ _…_ _this is something that's related to her life_ _…_ _right?_

Nozomi giggled to herself,

 _What if she asks if I want anything from her?_

 _Can I just ask for a kiss?_

 _Eh—_ _that_ _'_ _s not enough_ _…_ _maybe we can go out with each other officially then_ _…._

She blushes at her own imagination,

 _Aaaaahhhh!_

 _Intimate touching!_

 _In a personal room!_

 _I_ _'_ _ll finally fulfill my dream of being touched by a pretty woman!_

 _Or a handsome woman_ _…_

 _Hmm…_ _Ericchi is so sexy_ _…_ _she is both handsome and pretty! Maybe she is cute too?_

She places her hands on her own cheeks.

 _Let_ _'_ _s just say this_ _…_

 _She is everything I wanted_ _…_

 _I can_ _'_ _t believe she is actually in love with me too_ _…_

 _But she was too shy!_

 _Ohhh!_

 _I can_ _'_ _t wait! I really need to have her as soon as possible!_

Nozomi couldn't help but to not to clench her fists in excitement.

When she could feel a strong presence around her, she quickly takes a silent step, trying to make sure that she is hidden.

She noticed a faint light shining in the corner of the hall— which luckily is a dead end. It could be her advantage, but….

"H-Heelp…." called out a woman…but it's certainly not Eli's voice… it totally sounded like a desperate call.

Nozomi took a peek as to what was happening in the dead end of the hall….

There's Eli standing and doing nothing but crawling like a beast, then there's the beast still on her, and it partially devoured a woman's soul starting from her leg. Then it eventually swallows the hips….

"Please…someone…." The woman called for help again. She doesn't know who the woman might be…but now she knows what the beast can do to a soul.

Perhaps this is a good chance for Nozomi to show up and confront them…

"Stop!" Nozomi shows herself,

Then...it is really unexpected, the beast bites the woman and eats half of her body before it just disappeared. Nozomi's jaw dropped, unable to believe how brutal it actually is. The beast and Eli once again shows agitation before they attempted to run through Nozomi's side.

The purplenette swiftly caught the physical body—for some reason, she was also capable to hold the beast from running away.

"You can run, but not with Ericchi! Leave her alone! Now!" Nozomi said.

The body that she held started to rebel and tries hard get released, though Nozomi made sure to be gather all the strength she has to hold tightly and will surely never let her go.

"What's the problem of leaving without her, huh? She doesn't belong to you to begin with!" Nozomi said again,

Though, the struggle still took place and when the body finally turns around within the grip, Eli's physical body, grips onto her in a hugging position, before biting her neck….

Well…

Nozomi wasn't sure of what to feel now…

The position and all reminded her of how a beast usually kills their prey… by biting their neck and suffocate them…

But…..

This one though…..

It's a total failure, isn't it?

The mouth isn't big enough to suffocate her….

If two humans did the position…it just looked like something else….Now, it's time for the halved woman to have her jaw dropped, confused about what was exactly happening there. She certainly see how the beast tried to bite her, but then the body….

"W-whoa?! You Two! Being lewd in a shrine! That's not allowed!" the woman shouted.

"I-it's not like that!" Nozomi yelled as she tried to turn around to the woman, but that attempt caused her to lose her balance and…

"W-whoa!" Nozomi fell to the floor, still holding onto Eli while Eli also hugged her tight.

"Sin!" the halved woman said loudly

"Still not what it looks like!" Nozomi let out a struggled yell. The bite is rough—and it will surely leave a mark or a bruise. Nozomi tried to open the blonde's mouth to stop her from biting her—but the position didn't favor her too much.

She has to do something that could make the blonde jumps up in a surprise or something…

Nozomi tried to grab her on her breasts, and then squeezes it as hard as she could.

"Oh-My-God!" the woman hysterically shouted.

"It's still not what you think it is!" Nozomi shouted.

Either way, that attempt didn't work that well. Where else is sensitive for a female…?

With just a wild thought, Nozomi moved her hands to Eli's butt, it's so soft and Nozomi just knew the spot— she squeezes her butt as rough as she could.

"What are you two doing now?!" the woman shouted again,

"Just shut up! I'm trying to do something here!" Nozomi complained,

Yet again, the attempt is a failure and this time, she has no other choice but to grope around—the core area…

"By the heavens!" The woman shouted loudly.

Even though she protested, it proved to be working as Eli and the beast quickly turns around in surprise, releasing her bite and leaving herself vulnerable. Nozomi quickly jumps on her and pins her down to the floor with Eli's back facing her.

"What are you doing now, you perverted woman?! You have to seal her back already!"

"Seal her back?! What do you mean?!" Nozomi asked as she struggles to hold the blonde.

"The Fourth Seal, place it inside the heart, and then do the sixth on three spots near the heart, next, make the protection spell and spirit repel to strengthen the base…" The woman explained.

Nozomi realized that the woman might've been someone who has enough knowledge about spirits, or perhaps, she is an ex priestess who stays around here…? What exactly is this place….?

Either way, she did what she was asked to, starting from the fourth seal placed on the left body part of Eli, then sixth seal on both shoulders and at the back of the neck. And lastly, she made a protection spell as she tried her best to hold the blonde with her weight.

As the procedure was completed, the beast howled in pain before it absorbed back into Eli's body. In a blink of an eye, the beast soul disappeared and there's only an unconscious body under her now.

* * *

Nozomi carried Eli all the way up,

She was heavy and Nozomi had her energy drained from the fight—but she didn't mind doing it anyway. After all, she has achieved a victory that she could be proud of. And about the halved woman, appeared to be just a regular woman who has been staying around the shrine long enough to learn about her surroundings.

When they reached the surface, Nozomi knew that for some reason, the halved woman was able to pass through the seal easily. It's a mystery, of course, but why does she care now?

There's only Eli that she cares about for now and all she wants is to see her back to how she was. It's been a rough day for her and for Nozomi herself. It was such an adventure and she was sure that she also has learned enough for today as well.

She carried her to the shrine's lounge, a place that was supposedly exclusive for the shrine maiden. The room is usually used until night as some shrine maidens would like to stay the night so that they could wake up early and do the cleaning before they went off to do their own work.

It has some futons ready and it always stays clean and neatly stacked in the storage room.

When Nozomi placed Eli on the futon, a part of her was feeling somewhat concerned about her condition…but the other part of her tells something else….

 _Mmmh…_ _.Ericchi_ _…_ _.you_ _'_ _re so beautiful_ _….!_

She said in her mind as she brushes her hand on Eli's cheek—pretending to be tidying up the hair that she lets down after she took off her ribbon...

 _Why did I always scream my heart out when it_ _'_ _s about you?_

 _This must be a fate, right?_

 _A fate to fall in love with you_ _…?_

She continued again as she started to loosen Eli's uniform.

"I'm still here…you know…" said a woman—it's still the halved woman.

"W-why are you here?!" Nozomi asked.

"I'm the residence here, sheesh!" the woman replied.

"You haven't even introduced yourself!" Nozomi complained.

"Why would I?! You're the visitor here!" the woman replied,

"Fine! I'm Toujou Nozomi, a Shrine Maiden! Then this is Ayase Eli, my Ericchi!"

"A crush of yours, I suppose?"

"Yes!"

"Love between girls! How tragic!"

"Why tragic?!"

"You can't be together, right?"

"Oh shut up… we're together now…" Nozomi said.

"I mean, in the relationship way…."

"We will! Just shut up and take it…" Nozomi replied.

"Fine... anyways, my name is Kashima Reiko…you can call me Reiko…"

"You sound like the urban legend from Meishin Railway…"

"That's me, yes… then I dedicated myself to work in the shrine because I had enough with getting the same answers every single day…"

"Huh…what? What do you mean?" Nozomi asked.

"Whenever I came up to the bathroom and ask where my legs are…they always be like…. AAAAAAAAAAAAHHH! Or KYAAAAAAAHHH! Or….MEISHIN RAILWAY! MEISHIN RAILWAY! Then when I tried to ask who told them that since I'm always been returning from that place to any bathrooms …but then they were like… KASHIMA REIKO! KASHIMA REIKO….or like… WHO CARES DAMN IT?! or like…HELP MEEEE!"

"That's sounded pretty normal…I mean…Look at you…I bet you got used to the disfigurement…."

"That I am…" Reiko sighed heavily,

"I worked in the shrine so hard to grow my legs back…I was so close to get my feet but that kyuubi ate my legs again…."

"You're just a soul….why do you even need your legs…you can always fly you know…"

"Huh-what? Of course so that I could be pretty!"

"Ridiculous! Who needs to see you anyway?!"

"Aaaanyway! Your friend is going to be awake soon… I'll go do my thing…." Reiko said before she quickly crawls away.

Then as Nozomi turned to Eli—who still seemed to be sleeping—not so peacefully…

Suddenly, a familiar old woman appeared,

"Ah, you're here again…." she said.

"Kagemi-san…!" Nozomi turned at her,

"Nozomi-chan…. right?"

"Yep…!" Nozomi replied.

"Looks like your friend has been through a rough time… what happened to her?"

Nozomi doubted for a moment, wondering if she should tell her everything… but as she remembers how she met her for the first time….

"Well… you see…" Nozomi started,

She tried to explain the whole story from the very beginning of their investigation until the time they came up to the surface.

"Oh—My! That's rough…." The old woman replied.

"Mm… I wonder if she is really fine now? I mean…she has been asleep so I wouldn't know…."

"Hmm….actually, I wouldn't know as well… but…." the old woman looks at the blonde once again,

"….she seems to be fine…" she continued,

"Are you sure…?" Nozomi asked

"Simply, to have a Yokai sealed inside her… we don't know what it may do to her…but from what I know, it won't do much as long as the seal is tended every week. It's going to be troublesome for her…but…. with you—I think it won't be that much trouble… you sealed her yourself, right…?"

"Yes…." Nozomi replied,

"Then, that will be your job, to keep the seal…" the old woman smiled,

Nozomi gloomed to the sentence,

"What's wrong with that, child?" the old woman asked.

"…it's not that I don't want to do it…." she replied.

"Then…what is it?"

"It's just…. can I really do it? I mean… what if she goes loose again and I can't catch her?"

"There's a way to prevent that from happening—which is by being peaceful to the beast inside her…"

"I don't understand, I mean… it's a beast, a wild beast…I've never tamed one and….I don't think I can…"

"Have some confidence for yourself, child…"

"….you're more capable than what you think…" she continued.

Nozomi remained quiet feeling slightly gloomy about it all.

"Say, when she is awake later…. What will you do?" The old woman asked,

"I don't know…." Nozomi replied softly,

"Why…?"

"I don't even know how she will react to all this… to everything that happened….it was all my fault to drag her into this, plus…. She seemed to work hard for me too…with that mind map that she made…. It just—…." Nozomi paused,

"….I….I don't know…." her voice faded.

"Well…child, let me tell you something…. you don't have to worry about what you can't do for her…but care about what you can do and make sure it is with the right reasons as to why you wanted to do so… There are still so many mysteries you can solve together with her…and perhaps, you can finally place her soul to peace…"

"W-Wait…what?!" Nozomi flustered from the last sentence,

"Hmm…? What so surprising…?" the old woman asked,

"What do you mean by putting her soul to peace?!" Nozomi asked

"Hnm….do you have to pass away to be in peace…? Some people could live in peace, you see…."

"G…Good point…" Nozomi replied.

"Just like you when you have finally gotten her heart for yourself…."

Nozomi raises her eyebrows in surprise,

"I-It's not like that! I mean…it's not like I want her heart all for myself….I just think that—…."

Nozomi pauses as red began to display on her cheeks,

"…I….want her to think I'm special…that's why I'm putting this much effort….for her…." she continued.

The old woman chuckled,

"Let's just say, the girl in love is in action… but I hope, you truly will love her just the way she is… even though the world will be against you…."

"I don't understand why the world has to be against me… but if that's truly what I will face… then I'll show them who's the boss…"

"I'll hold onto those words, child…. I really will…."

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere else;

The room is quiet, too quiet perhaps. The room is colored white matching with the ceramic floor, that is cleaned on a daily basis. The white bed and the medical tools stacked neatly in its place, gives off a gentle cold atmosphere through the entire room—despite the air conditioner being on in its usual average temperature.

A young girl with red hair, placed all of her focus on her tablet—listening to music while she browses through the web… Her sight may have never been special, but her ear always were. She always wears her headset to ignore all the unknown noises that she could hear.

Rather than listening to what the unknown spoke, Nishikino Maki— a daughter of a rich and noble family, always prefers to be absorbed in her passion of music. But with her ability to listen, she is often bothered with minor noises, resulting her with an ability to ignore and choose what she wants to take in her mind. An incredible focus, people says…

No wonder she has always been close to acing her scores in school…

Today, she has to wait in the clinic because there are a lot of emergencies calls that kept her parents in—and because there was also no one at home available to talk with, not that they're not nice… it just that Maki hates to be treated like a child by her butlers and maid. She has always been the more independent type, but she just can't….

The time when she heard a rattle—a death rattle from one of the patient, she just knew there will be another coming up. She sets her music louder, trying hard to prevent herself from listening to what she doesn't want to listen to…

Despite her attempts, she was still capable of hearing and identifying each word….

"….Oh…no…." said the patient,

"Where am I? Why am I be here?" he continued,

"Help! Help! Let me be inside my body! I can't be like this! Wake me up from this nightmare!" he continued again in his panic,

"Shut up, I have never found my body either… I don't even know where its supposed to be!" said another man.

"Anybody! Please! Anybody! Find my child too! Can anybody hear us!? Can anybody see us?" then a woman's voice came up.

"They don't care about us, it's useless… I've tried to shout from ever since a lot of years ago… nobody came up and nobody looks at us in our eyes…"

While they chatted with each other, Maki once again attempted to raise the volume into maximum, wishing herself to be deaf instead of being given with such hearing. The last attempt of her is to cover her ears and let the headset overwhelmed her ears with loud music.

She screamed in her heart that she doesn't want to care, she doesn't want to hear and she doesn't want to understand them. How can she escape it though? She doubts there will be any way of her to do so…

* * *

Back at the Toujou Residence,

The Shrine is fine, but the shrine couldn't give any chance for Nozomi to make an attempt of touching a specific girl. Perhaps it's wrong, but….

 _Really, Reiko is such a noisy woman. I can_ _'_ _t believe she commented on every single move I did on Ericchi_ _…_ _. but perhaps she is just lonely?_

 _Either way though, I_ _'_ _m all alone with Ericchi now_ _…_ _I can do anything I want! She won_ _'_ _t even know!_

 _Perhaps I should just make things simple_ _…_

 _Well_ _…_ _I just need to change her clothing now_ _…_ _she cannot be sleeping in her dirty uniform_ _…_ _right_ _…?_

The purplenette giggled as she began to strip the blonde carefully.

 _Ahh...such a good body.._

She said in her mind as she brushes her hand on the Blonde's decently sized breast.

 _To be able to touch this all day_ _…ahh…_ _so great_ _…._

She keeps brushing her hands on her body instead of doing what she planned to do before….

 _Ahh…_ _I want her so bad_ _…._

She said as she unbuttons her shirt, revealing the pale white skin…

 _She is so warm_ _…_

 _This must be how being intimate feels_ _…_

 _She placed her cheek on the blonde_ _'_ _s bare belly…_

And while her hand travel down to the waist and continue to move down to the core area…

 _This must be the sensitive area, right-right? I touched this before_ _…_ _and I bet she doesn_ _'_ _t know_ _…._

 _It_ _'_ _s strangely become so addictive ever since the first time_ _…._

She brushes her hand again and again.

 _Hnnghh….Aaahhh….._

 _I want you so bad_ _…._

She said again in her mind as she started to prod her finger against the white underwear under the skirt…

But then….

"I'm going to report you to the police for molesting me…" said a familiar voice.

"What are you talking about, Ericchi? I'm just trying to change your clothes….you can't be sleeping with that dirty—…." Nozomi paused,

"Ericchi….?" she quickly woke up from her 'guilty' position.

"What do you think you're doing?" Eli who had already woken up, was crossing her arms and looking at her sharply,

"Well…..I…." Nozomi lost her words,

Before she expects anything to happen, Eli quickly grabs her and throws her to the middle of the bed, pinning her down…

"You're such a bad girl, huh?!" Eli said angrily as she pinches both of Nozomi's cheeks roughly.

"Waaa-awaahh! Ewwwicwwhi!Hwuuwtt! DwadHwuuuttzz!"

* * *

 **Ok, please ignore the scene above this^**

 **I mean...lol...can't be helped eh?**


	7. Ch7 : A Gift to Listen

**I skipped one year at this chapter,**

 **Thanks for reviews/comment/follows!**

 **Thanks to Crimson for edits!**

* * *

About a year passed,

After the constant bickering and teasing that they did to each other, they eventually became comfortable with each other and perhaps… a little too comfortable….

"Ericchi-Ericchi! What about this one…?" Nozomi shoved a magazine with a horror story in it,

"Didn't we agree to not do anything that's related to supernatural events until we are finished with our mid semester exam?" Eli replied,

"Ahhh—but, I like to have a little thrill before the exam!"

"We've been doing a lot of exorcising on our own—plus, look at what you've done… ever since you told that girl we helped about how to contact us, I've been getting emails from random people—and with ridiculous stories too! You should've known that kids tend to believe anything to be a doing of supernatural being because they imagine it so!"

"Nothing wrong with that… it gives us popularity, don't you think?"

"No!"

"Just imagine it, if we got enough market, we will be able to open a ghost buster agency too! Just like how it is in the cartoon!"

"A cartoon?! Are you serious!?"

"I'm very serious! They even had lots of epic gadgets too!"

"I'm not going to waste money on that! I'd rather use it to marry someone!"

"You're such a spoilsport, Ericchi… why can't you imagine all the fun we could have when we actually open the agency?"

"It's just too ridiculous… I mean, to begin with, does every single person in this world believe their existence? I doubt that!"

"That's because they have never seen it, we've seen it and we believe… right-right?"

"We do but still no! Anyway! Lets just focus on studying science now!" Eli said as she shoves science books—including her notes at Nozomi. At first, the purplenette puffed her cheeks, but after she opens the notes

"So our topic right now is human reproduction, can we just do a practice?" Nozomi said teasingly.

"We're not even with the right gender… but either way, we are not going to do anything other than studying…" The blonde said surely,

"Well, Ericchi, you can study me if you like…" Nozomi said teasingly again,

"Nozomi…." Eli sighed heavily,

"…listen….this is for your own sake, ok?"

"I just need to pass right? I don't even like the study so I'm fine with a so-so score…"

Eli sighed again,

"Why you don't like science…? Even though you're not going to be a scientist or anything, you still have to study it because it may be necessary in your daily life. Not to mention all study is important because they always have information that may affect you and your surroundings…"

"Because science always talks about a limitation of one being…just like what you just said before…" Nozomi replied.

"What did I say before…?" Eli tilts her head.

"You said… we're not even the right gender…" Nozomi replied in a somewhat gloomy manner.

"That's the truth though, humans are born that way…" Eli replied,

"Why can't we just be like snails?!"

"What?! You're being ridiculous!" Eli replied.

"That's it! We're going to adopt kids, Ericchi!"

"Huh…what?! You're not even my girlfriend!" Eli replied,

"Of course we are not girlfriends! We're a married couple from now on, you're the dad, I'm the mom!"

"W-wait-wait….what?!"

"So…Papa-Ericchi, what kind of kids are we going to have today?"

"That doesn't even sound right! Plus, why are we in this topic?! You have to study!"

"I don't want to studyyyy! Aaaaaaaa—…!" Nozomi started to act like a kid,

Eli frowned at her, but knowing from her experience that being persistent will do nothing… this time she will try to play along….

"But...Mama, there are lots of things we need to study! Like…for example, what you have inside that belly of yours…." The blonde said,

Nozomi was surprised as she heard it, she can't believe that Eli played along, either way though…this is probably a chance for her to make things happen…

"You mean… our baby?" Nozomi replied,

Eli placed her palm on her face, didn't expect it to turn out like this…

"No…not quite, I'm still talking about…. Uterus….Ovary…and the others… do you remember each of the details?"

"Why are we remembering the details? It's too complicated…"

"Because we're playing this so that you can start studying!" Eli said loudly.

"Aaaaa—too boring and complicated…." Nozomi replied as she rested herself on the table.

Eli swears she is already running out of ideas, and the only thing she can shout is…

"N….Nozomiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"

* * *

About two weeks passed,

The mid semester exam is about to start. It's so much different than their first year. They are no longer the new students who're still working hard to obey the rules, everyone confidently enters the classroom, maybe some still seemed to be somewhat nervous but either way, they've done their best.

This time, Nozomi and Eli are magically put in the same classroom. Maybe the teachers believe that they've been inseparable and did some great work on motivating each other. With Nozomi's score improvement, Eli has always been praised by the teachers while Nozomi always gets praised by almost everyone around her.

Ever since they have been together, they've gained some confidence in themselves, maybe not so much but still…it makes them feel that they will never be alone and it will be fine to socialize with people around them—perhaps being awkward is also fine too as long as they are not being offensive…..or…not too offensive for Eli's case.

Because the blonde tends to be too honest about her opinions, she often, accidentally, hurts other's feeling. Though whenever Nozomi is about to confront her about it, she knows that Eli is just being honest and all she can do is straighten up her image with her golden tongue—an ability to speak that she has learned through days.

Ever since she stuck herself around Eli, she got to know to her best friend and learned about herself as well, she started to realize that she has to be the great support and that will be by learning how to socialize. She bought lots of books and studies it hard, it was difficult at first but with her interest on the topic, she managed to learn it and persuaded a lot of people with her new skills. But, now she is way too interested in socializing with others, because she always interested on listening to stories and histories.

Though, there is still something that she hasn't yet learned…

It's about how to give mercy towards those who are persistent on disturbing against her principal and appear to be not a living being…

She has never seen such as an arrogance human being, but she always seen it as her way of protecting the living and to balance the world. Like a police….or an army without colony.

Together with Eli, she had banished plenty of ghost that reported to be haunting specific sites. She continues to do so but perhaps it needs a break at times, and it will be when she is taking these school exams.

It's not that she is always having a hard time with science, she is fine with memorizing things, but she is just not ok when she has to look at pictures and write what's the name of each part. She tends to be distracted with that kind of question. That's why, Eli told her to do the other and left all pictures for the last..

When she finally finished with the other numbers and reached the part where she has to work on the pictured question…

 _Hmm…_ _This is a picture of_ _…._ _a female reproduction organs_ _…._

She said in her mind,

 _I remember_ _…_ _in the magazine I used to read, this is the spot that needs to be reached to get maximum pleasure_ _—_ _that will require a toy for people like me, then needs specific length for hetero couples_ _…._

She thought as she draws a circle on the picture…

 _What was it called_ _…_ _the G-Spot?_

 _Hmm…isn_ _'_ _t this cervix_ _…_ _? I think Ericchi said that before_ _…._

 _S_ he continued to work on each names of the part—for some reason, she was able to name every one of them perfectly—and was very confident about it. She must've been lucky that the pictured questions are pretty much about female organs, which is a topic that she is interested to know about.

After a few minute passes, Nozomi put her pen down and stretched. Watching the specific blonde, who seemed to have already finished a while before her. The best thing about mid exam is that she could watch the blonde's back the entire hour if she wants to, and there will be nobody to complain about it—not even the teachers.

 _Hmmm…_ _.when I keep looking at her, I feel like_ _…_ _my life is so peaceful and_ _…_ _.well_ _…_ _protected_ _…_ _. maybe this is why many souls are trying to get her_ _…_

 _But we_ _'_ _ve always been dealing with them_ _…_ _.even though Ericchi constantly gets into trouble because of her charm, I_ _'_ _ll always be there to solve it_ _… I_ _'_ _m such a hero for her, right? Maybe that_ _'_ _s the reason why she is fine with me sticking around her?_

She said in her mind as she happily stares into the blonde hair.

 _Ahhh…_ _.despite that though, I feel like I_ _'_ _m still so far away from being intimate with her_ _…._

 _Like…_ _there_ _'_ _s still sooo much I need to know about her_ _…_

 _Perhaps about her favorite food? Her favorite color_ _…?_

 _Or….maybe…_ _her favorite position_ _…..?_

 _Hmmm! This is going to be great!_

 _Maybe I should just bait her into all these topics_ _…_

 _After exam should be a good timing_ _…_

 _But…._

 _What should I say_ _….?_

 _Hmmm…._

 _Ericchi-Ericchi_ _…_ _should we go to a concert_ _…?!_

 _Uhm..no-no…_ _. if we go to do that, I won_ _'_ _t be able to ask her to do something else_ _…._

 _I mean_ _…_ _I just believe she is going to be super stingy with her time_ _…._

 _Then_ _…Din_ _ing out will be the best choice_ _…_

 _A fine dinner….._

 _Ahhh….so romantic!_

Nozomi screamed in her heart…

 _Then_ _…_ _Then_ _…_ _we will drink something nice_ _…_ _going to the hotel_ _…_ _.then sleep together_ _….and-and…._

She started to imagine something that was ridiculously too much for herself to handle…

 _Aaaaaaaaaaaahh! Reach my spot! Reach my spot!_

Her nose started to bleed.

 _This is so good_ _…_ _a great plot!_

Nozomi shouted in her mind…

As she eyes the blonde's fingers that was currently playing with a pen…

 _Those fingers_ _…._

Nozomi keep looking at it.

 _Long and slim_ _…_

She can imagine those fingers digging inside….

 _Just need two of those_ _…_ _but more than enough for sure_ _…_

She placed both of her hands on her cheeks as blood rushed all over her face. Her legs tensed and…

A loud knock was heard along with someone's voice…

"N-Nozomi…. What—…?" Eli turned around as she could feel her chair being kicked roughly. But she stopped at the sight of Nozomi and her nose bleed—dripping on her exam paper…

"Nozomi!"

* * *

After the exam,

And after Nozomi was taken care of, in the school's clinic…

"People just suspected that you've been over-studied the night before…. You should be glad!" Eli said as the two walks through the hallway…

"Huh…why? You're supposed to be worried since you're the one who made me over-study…."

"Who cares about that, I didn't. But I believe that this time, you were just having the very same imagination the time you were studying it, right?"

"Eh…? No… well…that time, I was imagining about fingers…."

"Fingers now? I swear it was tongue last night… Either way, you are such a pervert…"

"It's not like you're not…I was able to remember the entire details about how you taught me about memorizing last night…the only way for a person to be able to create such a perverted story is that the person is a big pervert as well…"

"You're kidding me… I was just making that so that you could remember it… I'm adjusting to your favor!" Eli defended herself,

"…..I tentatively touch deep into your cervix….with my long and slim fingers…" Nozomi said, somewhat mimicking Eli's accent—with a little dramatic addition in her voice.

"I said, I made that so you could remember!" Eli said.

Nozomi chuckled,

"Seriously though, I totally love it… science can't be more exciting than that!" she said.

"Well, be prepared because next topic will be about animals…you won't be having that much fun…"

"Says someone who kept a giant fox…." Nozomi chuckled,

"It doesn't even relate to me anymore! Besides, it's just inside and we're still planning to take it out, right?" Eli asked.

"I wouldn't know… we still don't know how to exactly get rid of the fox off you…but according to every priest we met, we can't get rid of it until there's an appropriate host to take it…"

Eli sighed heavily,

"I can't believe that I'm just stuck with this now…"

"Another strange thing is that, despite you having that beast inside, you're still the first attraction to every ghost around us…like…"

Before Nozomi finished….

"Aaaaayaaaaaseeeee-saaaaaaaann!" said a hauntingly creepy female voice,

Eli rolled her eyes and smirked,

"You again!" Nozomi shouted as she quickly turns her sight to the ghost's direction.

"I—I'm just a messenger now!" Reiko, the halved woman soul said.

"What do you have now, huh?" Nozomi asked—somewhat rudely,

"Well, I'm just going to talk to Ayase-san since you are a rude ass…"

"Huh?!" Nozomi lifted her eyebrows,

"Ayase-san!" Reiko ignored her,

"What?" Eli replied coldly,

"Aaaahh! So cold! Ayase-san is so cool!" Reiko screamed cheerfully.

 _This is discrimination!_

Nozomi smirked wryly,

"Listen-listen, Ayase-san… there's a call for help from someone who came to the shrine. She was a little girl, a third grader of a junior high-school, a daughter of a rich couple… she just placed a lot of offering this early morning…her wish said… she wanted to stop hearing things…"

"Do you think I'm….what….? A wish maker?" Eli asked sarcastically.

"No-no! Not quite! It just that maybe you two can reach her and teach her how to make use of her ability…"

"Hah, if my mother was the strongest witch in the entire galaxy, or maybe owns some big space pirate colony… then maybe I'll do that…"

"Oh, come on, Ayase-san… Pleaseeeeeeee….? If she is glad, then the shrine will surely get more offerings! Which means…more facility to build for us!"

The Blonde sighed heavily,

"Nozomi…what do you think…?" she asked,

"Let's do that… but...maybe not today or end of this week…we have plans…" Nozomi said.

"True, we have to do more studying for the last day of mid-exam next week…"

"Actually, I think we can do it this weekend…" Nozomi said quickly.

"No…we're going to do it—next week!" Eli said.

"The faster it is, the better! There's no deadline, just make her wish come true somehow!" Reiko said.

"See? Told you, Ericchi! We will go find her this weekend!" Nozomi said.

Eli sighed again,

"Can you even catch up with the English and History exam…?"

"Oooh—yes! My English is too perfect already, Ericchi!" Nozomi said in a goofy foreign manner,

Eli rolled her eyes,

"Fine then, this weekend, we will look for her…."

"Great! Then, the most apparent thing about her is... she has red hair and purple eyes, goes to the Nishikino Clinic from time to time—probably needs someone to reach out to her because… she is….uhm…looks a little complicated inside…" Reiko said.

"Huh? Complicated…?" Eli tilts her head slightly, wondering about what exactly she means by complicated.

"Yup, either way, I take it that you are doing this job…."

"And…what if we decided to do something else?" Nozomi asked.

"Simple!" Reiko said as she smiled,

"I'll make you look like me!" she continued with a creepy voice.

Nozomi smirked at her,

"Oh..but…for Ayase-san…since you are such a cool person, I'll just punish you by… sticking with you forever!" Reiko said.

"Wait a minute! Did you forget who saved you that time?!" Nozomi protested.

"What are you talking about…?" Reiko said with a made up voice.

"I saved you! From the beast inside her!" Nozomi pointed at Eli,

"But I was also the one who saved you by telling you to seal her back!"

"If I never came to save you—that would've never happened!"

Eli sighed and she gently chopped Nozomi's forehead,

"Shut up and let's just go back home to talk about this again…."

"See?!" Reiko said in a manner of a victorious one.

"You too!" Eli glanced at her sharply—which was enough to make the halved woman smirk awkwardly in guilt.

"Well then, off we go!" Nozomi said energetically,

The two left and Reiko stays around the area for a while as she watches the two moving. But then notices someone has been hiding behind a wall….

Well..she isn't a stranger to them...

A small girl with black hair, peeking behind the wall as she mumbled,

"What are those two talking about? Why do I feel like there is a third person that they're talking to….?"

Reiko just smiled and then dives into the floor.

"Sheesh… no matter how many times I look at them, they are always appear to talk with more than one person whenever there are only just two of them around…who exactly are they talking to, huh?"

Then suddenly,

The halved woman makes an appearance—right in front of the little girl,

"I CURRSSEEEEE YOOUUUUUUUU!" She said with her hauntingly creepy voice and made her face somewhat appear bloody and gruesome, as gore as the cut on her body.

"WAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The black haired girl ran without a single second to spare.

* * *

Just like what they planned,

Eli and Nozomi returned to Nozomi's apartment to start brainstorming. Once again, they made a mind-map to help them analyze the case…or at least, that's what Eli intended to do…

"Hnn…why do we have to make this again…? I still don't get it…." Nozomi asked,

"Why are you asking again…?" Eli replied as she carefully sticks some description said by Reiko.

"Well, in the end, you'll always be the one who needs to be saved…and I'm the hero…." Nozomi said teasingly.

Eli smirked, though she remained quiet to it… knowing that it might've hurt her feelings, she started to look for a smooth recovery—for her terrible joke,

"…why do you still bother to make this?" Nozomi said—and after she said that, she just realized that it doesn't make things any better. Luckily, Eli still remained silent instead of reacting to it.

"I mean…. is there anything you're trying to achieve…?" and that still didn't make it any better.

"No offense…" ….the best words she could say in the end.

Eli sighed at her,

"It's to be kept, also, if there will be anything in the future, we can look back by looking at the mind-map we created… let's just say…it's a journal…with pictures and interesting arrangement…" the blonde replied again with a surprisingly calm voice.

"You spend a lot of time for it…. I mean, why not just make it a simple book or…something?"

"Other than it giving a lot of space for addition in the future, it also can be used for presentation… if there will be anyone that's going to join you doing this…."

"Me…? You're doing this for me…?" Nozomi asked again.

"Pretty much… you can tell me it's ineffective… but maybe I'm just going to say that I'm having fun doing this as well…"

"I'm not saying that it's ineffective, I just may not use that, but, it could have its own use in the future….either way though, Ericchi… Thanks for the effort…" Nozomi replied.

Eli nods, and then suddenly stops writing as she drops her pen and crumples the paper she wrote on and instantly throws it into the trash-can.

"You're not going to use it…so…." Eli gloomed,

"N…No-no….please…I mean…" Nozomi was lost for words…

"It's fine, you're just being honest…"

 _Ah—No…_ _crap, what am I saying, genius?!_

 _I just hurt her feelings_ _!_

 _I shouldn't have_ _sa_ _id that!_

 _I_ _really_ _shouldn't have_ _sa_ _id that!_

 _I mean_ _…_ _she could_ _'_ _ve been thinking a lot about this and_ _…._

 _Put her feeling_ _s into it while doing it_ _…_

 _And I just offended her idea_ _…!_

Nozomi said in her mind as she watched Eli look like a hurt puppy. Either way though, ignoring all the pride of being ' _true_ ', she could've thought of better words to state her mind…or…perhaps… she should've let her do it because she had fun doing it!

"So… we're going to go now? To the clinic?" Eli asked, with an awkwardly forced smile as she stood up from her seat.

Nozomi, who is still in her worry of how to come up with a proper recovery toward her friend, was surprised by the statement,

"W-wait…shouldn't we plan it first….?" She asked.

"We don't need it… you will do it fine without…right…?" Eli replied, her smile is sincere, but she is certainly dishonest about her true feelings. Nozomi knew that she hurts her.

"Ericchi! I…I'm fine with you doing this… I mean… you are having fun with it…right? It's ok to do it! I'm just….saying….and I'm not pretending!" Nozomi replied again,

"No point, it's a big waste of time, so… let's just do it your way…" Eli said.

"Ericchi! Please…listen…. I'm sorry, ok? You can do it… I mean…it's like a journal, right? We can use it later….or…uh…the plan? What about the plan…?" Nozomi asked again, trying hard to make Eli finish what she started.

"Let's just go to the clinic…" Eli said as she left the room.

"Ericchi!" Nozomi quickly ran after her,

Seeing the blonde wear her shoes—with less than a minute, Nozomi knew that nothing will be able to stop her from trying to do what she is doing...

What is it that Eli is actually trying to achieve…?

Why did she just stop from Nozomi saying that she will not use it…?

Either way, now that they are both outside,

They walked to the clinic with an awkward atmosphere…even though Eli seemed to be fine—on the surface, Nozomi felt that she really needs to make another apology somehow and make Eli continue doing what she did.

Now that they're so close to the clinic….there's just no way for them to return to make a planning…or maybe, that's only what Eli says…

"….let's just go back and come up with some plan!" Nozomi begged, still feeling guilty about before.

"We're already here… just do things like usual… right?" Eli replied.

The usual— the usual is with Eli making the command according to the plan from their analysis

"Ericchi, please… I didn't mean that we don't need the plan, we're still doing things according to plan from the beginning, but we just don't always follow it… besides, I was just trying to tease you… it was a joke! Don't take it seriously!"

"Excuse me!" Eli ignored her as she headed to the information desk.

"Yes…? May I help you?" the staff asked

"Yes, can we meet someone who comes here from time to time, red hair and purple eyes?"

"Uhm… you need to be more specific, but…. personally, I only know someone and this person is Nishikino Maki, the daughter of the owner…." She said,

"Where is she now?"

"Should be somewhere around the clinic, she tends to move around at her will, so I don't really know…" the staff informed.

"Thank you, we will go ahead and find her…" Eli replied as she left with the information. Nozomi, on the other hand, could only sigh and hurry after her.

* * *

They spend about half an hour,

Looking around the hallway and searching through rooms. They couldn't find anyone that matched the description. They decided to take a short break in the garden. The big clinic surely makes a lot of trouble for them…but…what else they can do?

"See Ericchi? This is why you should've just finished what you were doing… having a plan isn't bad at all…"

Eli didn't respond, she just leans her back on the bench.

"We should make a plan, we can write it or… just…you know…go back and continue that mind-map…"

"Are you tired, Nozomi?" Eli asked instead.

"Huh…No? I'm still fine to go…this is a weekend after all…"

"If you're tired, you can go back on your own anytime. I'm fine doing this myself… there won't be anything related to spiritual power for now, right?"

Hearing that, Nozomi realizes that it's just a polite way of telling her to leave her alone.

"Are you mad at me?" Nozomi asked.

"Hmm…No? Why would I?" Eli asked back.

"You look like you're angry with me… by ignoring me and all…"

"No, I'm not mad at you… I just see no point of responding to that…" Eli replied as she averts her eyes.

Nozomi sighed heavily at her and then places both of her hands on the blonde's cheek, turning Eli's face to herself.

"Ericchi! Don't be stubborn now! I know you're mad at me!" she said.

"What did you do wrong…? You're just being honest…" Eli replied.

"You could've blamed me that we're lost now…I mean, it's not that I'm always right… if we organize things like how you want to do it, it could've been better! We may figure out something before we're forced to be stuck in this kind of situation…."

Eli smiled faintly at her then pushes her away gently,

"Maybe I should've done that, huh?" she replied softly.

Knowing that the blonde did nothing else after, it tickles Nozomi to make something else happen, just anything that could make the blonde do anything to tell her that she is already cheered up. The purplenette grabs both of the blonde's breasts and squeezes it really hard.

"W-What are y—Nozomi!"

"Ericchiiii!" Nozomi shouted back at her.

"Why are you suddenly squeezing me!?" Eli yelled as she also grab Nozomi's breast.

"Just be honest to me! Admiittt ittt that you are angry at meeee….!" Nozomi yelled.

"Why do I have to do that while I'm really not?!

"Because—because you're so stupiddddd! Acting gloomy like that in front of me! It makes me so saaaadd!"

"N-Nozomi! Why are you sad when I'm just deep in my own thoughts, huh? I'm not acting gloomy!"

"Really?" Nozomi stopped squeezing her breasts,

"It's true! I was just thinking of how to fulfill the thing you were saying…"

"Just stick with the big mind-map! I don't mind because you're having fun with it! It's not like I won't use it and you're not making it for yourself…and I'm not trying to tell you that I don't appreciate it—I didn't even try to be polite when saying that either!" Nozomi squeezes her again

"Aaarghh! Nozomi! Stop that already!" Eli squeezes harder as well.

While the two are busy squeezing each other, Nishikino Maki sat just a few meters behind them on a bench as she listened to some loud music.

"What are those two idiots doing there….?" She smirked as she mumbled to herself.

* * *

At close to night time,

Eli and Nozomi gave up looking for her and decided to do something else for the day,

"Maybe she didn't come to the clinic today…" Nozomi said sadly.

"Maybe…." Eli replied.

"Hmm...Ericchi, are we just going home now…?" Nozomi asked,

"If you're tired, go on…but if you have something else in mind, just tell me…"

As she heard that, Nozomi figured out that there's still something that she wanted to do—something that she has planned before…

But….

Will it be fair if she does things according to her plan while she just ruined Eli's planning attempt a while ago?

She doesn't think so…

"I don't know… I don't really want to go home… because that means you will do the same…right?" Nozomi replied.

"I think so…" She replied.

"Hmm…? You think so? Is there something else you want to do…?"

Eli remain quiet for a moment, and then she smiled,

"Not really…" she said gently.

"You are still angry about before…?"

"No… I told you I'm not angry…"

"Then, what do you think…?"

"I just think you are right about it…"

"That's it?"

"Yes…"

"You're still hiding something…" Nozomi replied.

"No, I'm not…" Eli replied again,

"Tell me what you truly think!" Nozomi asked again,

Eli sighed again,

"Fine… I'm just embarrassed because I've done that for so long and you just tell me about that now…I feel so stupid… I could've thought of something smaller than that… because, the fact that there's only two of us right now, we won't need such a big thing."

"Shouldn't you blame me because I never told you in the beginning?"

"Maybe you're just being polite…"

"Me and being polite… are you sure, Ericchi…?"

"Aren't you always doing that so that you're not hurting me…?

"It's only sometimes...but now I know something… do you not like it when I'm trying to not hurt your feelings…?"

"It makes me feel uncomfortable… when someone lies or fakes a reaction just to make me happy… I'm always expecting them to stab me in the back later…or…hurt me in the future by telling me the truth that they never liked what they pretend to like in the past…." Eli replied,

Nozomi raises her eyebrows, realizing that what she just said is exactly what she felt about such things too. Maybe her case was only because a lot of her friends told her that she will be missed… but the truth is that they have never contacted her again…or act like they still care about her existence…

But for another case now,

Is that what she did towards her? She has always known that Eli is somewhat similar to her. The way they think might be a little different, but they are similar and she should've understood her more than anyone else.

"I see…then… I'm sorry…Ericchi…. I should've tried to understand you more…." She replied.

Eli nodded slightly,

"It's fine. At least you tried…"

"You prefer honesty…even though it might hurt you?" Nozomi asked.

"What's the point of lies if it was just to make one feeling better? I prefer to be hurt and improve in the future than be told lies and move forward blindly… I know I might over-react to it at times, but I appreciate it… after all, that was the first reason why you were interesting to me…"

"…I was…interesting…to you?"

"Yes… you hurt, but I like it. I want to be always be around you because of that…and the time you told me all that back then… it wasn't the concept that I was thinking about… it was…about your honesty to me...or perhaps, the change of you…"

"The change of…. me?" Nozomi tilts her head in question.

"You've been nice to everyone lately, and everyone also seems to appreciate you. We both are nothing like we were in the past…we both are now capable of talking with others…but…. I feel like… our value to each other—…." Eli pauses, there's a slight hint of blush on her face, though it was light and the color of the night makes it less apparent.

Nozomi patiently waited for her to continue, though after a few minutes, Eli didn't seem to continue which made her curious,

 _Hmm…_ _what is she trying to say?_

She thought.

 _Is she worried that I_ _'_ _ll be having other friends?_ _"_

 _Or perhaps_ _…_

 _She wanted me to be more than a friend?_

 _A Girfriend!?_

 _No-no...that can_ _'_ _t be…_ _she isn_ _'_ _t interested in me...she told me that before!_

 _I should not be too over confident about this_ _…_ _all the teasing was enough_ _…_

 _This is a serious moment, I might piss her off if I made a joke out of it..._

 _Or…_ _seem to make a joke out of it_ _…_

 _Sheesh_ _…I_ _'_ _d like to be her girlfriend if I could!_

"….we're still good friends if that's what you're worried about… they're not going to replace you…" Nozomi said.

Eli smiled wryly,

"You're right…we will stay as good friends…and there will be nothing that could change it, right?"

"Yup!" Nozomi replied confidently—despite knowing that there's a small hint of sadness in Eli's voice. But either way, she can't actually guess on it… maybe she was just scared that it may not be something true?

"I'm being honest, Ericchi! Even though you're also a pain in the ass at times, I still like you because you make me who I am…maybe I should've called you as a great friend?" Nozomi said somewhat teasingly...

Eli smiled, a little forced because it wasn't actually the thing she is trying to hint, but either way….

"I'm glad to hear that… sorry I was overthinking about it…"

"Let's promise that we will always be true to each other! Now, instead of thinking about that, what should we do next?" Nozomi asked.

Eli was quiet for a moment, wondering if she should have answered the first statement…she knows she isn't being herself at the moment, but what else can she do about it…? Is it worth anything to tell her true feelings?

"Why don't we find some food? I'm hungry…" Eli replied.

"Ohhh! Sure! That was what I was thinking too!"

"What you were thinking? Then, you were planning to do that before?" Eli asked.

"Hehe, I just forgot because I wasn't that hungry yet!" Nozomi replied with an awkward smile,

"Alright then, let's find a restaurant or a café…"

* * *

The time when the two walks around the city,

Nozomi still kept on thinking of what she should do after. She swears, she already knows everything she wants to do if they're going to dine out, but is it really fair to leave it like this…?

It was her plan after all and it just somehow went smoothly, while Eli's plan…

It wasn't even talked about again…

 _This is so unfair_ _…_

Nozomi thought.

 _Why does she somehow make my plans come true while I can_ _'_ _t_ _even manage to reciprocate_ _?_

She thought again,

 _I can_ _'_ _t let myself take an advantage from her like this_ _…_

 _I have to somehow make her plan come true again!_

She kept walking alongside with the blonde as she moves towards a café which seemed to have recently opened…

Eli stopped right in front of it then her eyes seemed to notice something inside…or perhaps, it was her nose that brought her there….

"Do you sense it… Nozomi?" Eli asked.

"Eh…? Sense what?"

"I feel like there's something inside this place…" Eli replied again.

"Hmm…" Nozomi took a moment to active her senses,

She could feel something hostile… but it wasn't cold like usual… it was in fact—feel like a fire…a fiery anger that just exploded inside the very place…

But for whatever sake, a living being won't be able to make such an aura... even when they are extremely angry…

"Is this a call that you wanted to do, Ericchi? I thought we were supposed to take a break from this kind of thing?"

"You are right, but are you going to regret it if t something bad happens inside this place?" Eli asked.

"Like….what…?" Nozomi asked,

"The anger…Nozomi…. Do you think an angry spirit will be able to hold itself…? Especially with this kind of heat spreading…?"

Nozomi remain quiet to think,

"Hmm…does Ericchi think that she can relate to such feeling?"

"I can't deny, it was hard to hold back anger when you don't know reason for being so…"

Nozomi smiled faintly,

 _Does that mean_ _…_ _she knows the reason as to why someone should hold back their_ _anger_ _…?_

 _But she herself…_ _can_ _'_ _t do such_ _…?_

 _It was how she always was back then anyway_ _…_

 _Maybe she has changed_ _…_

 _But for what reason_ _….?_

She asked to herself.

Either way…

"Then, let's just go in and find out as we get our food!"

They walked into the café,

Which is awfully quiet—too quiet for a public place…

The two sit in the corner seat near a window. Looking at the menu….which…seems to be very interesting…

"The Menu looks alright…. I wonder what makes this place extremely quiet…?" Nozomi asked.

"Perhaps, it's something to do with the serving? Or...how things turn out…?"

"Well, we wouldn't know before we try, right?" Eli replied.

 _The way she said it,_

 _Too gentle_ _…_

Nozomi said in her mind.

 _I don'_ _t like it! It feels like she is hiding something!_

She said again in her mind.

"Ericchi! You're still mad at me, right?!" Nozomi pouts at her.

"Huh? Why are we bringing this up again? I'm not mad at you!" Eli replied.

"You changed so suddenly! It's soooo strange! I want the noisy and easily angry Ericchi back!" Nozomi said.

"W-What?" Eli raises one of her eyebrows,

Nozomi puffed her cheek and quickly grabs Eli's cheek.

"Come on! Be angry at me if you want to!"

"Nozomi… I'm really not angry at you…" Eli replied.

Nozomi remains quiet as she glares at her. A few second passes, which luckily for them, that the waiter hasn't yet approached them.

Until Eli sighed heavily and grabs both of Nozomi's hands—pushing it away gently and placing it on the table.

"Well then, Nozomi… what about you? Do you still feel guilty because of what happened earlier…?"

"Yes!" Nozomi replied immediately.

"Then, you are the one who needs to change that. I'm really not angry at you. I'm taking your opinion wholeheartedly. It's fine for me to be wrong…and… I already said that I really didn't mind it. The only thing that I mind is because you didn't tell me earlier…. But that's fine… I know you probably have tried to say something before…we are all humans after all…"

"Are you sure about that?!" Nozomi asked again.

"Of course I am… I've decided that I'll listen to you… because you have tried to listen to me as well…"

"Then, we are ok?!"

"Yes, we are…" Eli replied.

"But I still don't like it when you're acting so gentle to me! It feels so faked!" Nozomi protested again.

Eli was flustered, but then she chuckled after she stares into her for a few seconds. Nozomi who feels like she was being made fun of, pouts at her, though when she see Eli stand up from the seat opposite of her, she softens her expression to pay attention to what the blonde has for her.

She sat next to her, with the menu in her hand and a flirty gesture…she embraced the purplenette close to her, very up close and it makes both blushes red on their own cheeks.

"Well then… what about this…? Do you enjoy this kind of gentleness…?"

"Are you making fun of me now, Ericchi?!" Nozomi asked,

"What can I say…? I want you to just accept that I want to be gentle to you…"

"Either way, this looks fake too!" Nozomi said.

"Can you tell that this is probably a punishment because you don't believe me…?"

"That's ridiculous… you sound so fake and this is so unrealistic. I mean... how could you just do this to me out of nowhere? It's so staged! It feels like a porn movie…"

Eli smirked to the statement, she could have put her act down and do something 'normal' again but…

"It's not like this is your first time getting treated like this…" Eli said.

"You're awkward…" Nozomi said.

"…and it's not like you're not awkward either… just remember the time you suddenly grabbed my breasts…this is nothing compared to that…" Eli replied.

"Then, why don't we prove it?"

"Prove what?" Eli asked,

"Prove which of us is more awkward…"

"Huh!? How?" Eli asked.

At that second, Nozomi grabs both of Eli's breast.

"You just want to do this, right?!" Eli frowned at her,

"Now you flirt on me!"

"What?"

"Hurry up! We will know which of us is more awkward!"

Eli still smirked at her, but she seem to have no choice anyway. She grabs Nozomi's shoulder and pulls her close…

"Nozomi…" Eli called her gently and suggestively,

Nozomi swears…

That was the first time she heard it and she already feels something make her really tense and—perhaps, she would say… aroused.

 _It_ _'_ _s too much already?!_

She protested to herself.

 _No…_ _this can_ _'_ _t be…_

 _I can_ _'_ _t lose!_

She said to herself,

But then Eli closes her gap with her, and…her breath…is right on Nozomi's neck…

"You can't take this…can you?"

"Well you can't take this either, can you?!" Nozomi twisted her grip on Eli's breast.

"Wh-Whoaa?!" Eli shouts.

"That hurt!" she continued as her hands moves down to Nozomi's breast.

"You lose!"

"W-wait what?!" Eli flustered,

"I will now declare you as—…!"

Before Nozomi finishes, Eli just rubbed Nozomi's breast.

"No, honey, you're not winning!"

Then Nozomi swiftly jumps up to her making sure to sit on her and press her breast on Eli's….

And the two started to glare at each other intensely…

For a third person wise… that's probably the most awkward view to see…but since there are only two of them right now… here in the quiet café…

They both struggled and that caused their breast to rub against each other…after almost a minute, Both of their nose started to bleed in the same time….

"You're bleeding… you lose…" Eli said.

"No-no, you started bleeding first…"

"It's you! You are imagining perverted things, right!?" Eli said.

"What about you? Suddenly getting that nosebleed… you being a pervert as well, aren't you!?"

"No way…a-anyhow….what are we competing for again?" Eli asked.

"For who is the most awkward…?" Nozomi replied.

"That would be you…right?" Eli replied.

"No, that's you…" Nozomi replied.

"This is all your idea, you awkward person! I don't even have any idea what we are doing right now!"

"Supposedly, we need to make an order….and eat…."

"Ah...right…we're in a café after all…"

Then two stopped—and…their eyes started to move towards the window….

Now they just realized that…. a lot of people are staring at them…through the window….and basically, the two have been such a show to the public…

The two quickly releases each other and started to pretend that they are going to normally order something…

"So…Ericchi… can we just go with parfait…?" Nozomi asked formally.

"Sure… let's order a parfait…" Eli replied formally as well.

Then they knocked the table to call a waiter—who never came up…

In the end, the crowd went off to do their own business again while Eli and Nozomi were finally left alone.

"You're embarrassing…!" Eli grunted,

"You're embarrassing too, Ericchi!" Nozomi whispered,

"This is all your fault!"

"Not really, it was your fault too…!"

Then the two glares at each other again.

Though after a moment…

They started to smile at each other, then chuckled which continued with some playful laughter.

"Seriously though, it was fun… thanks, Nozomi…" Eli replied.

"Same with me… I kind of loved that…." Nozomi replied.

"Love…what exactly…?" Eli asked,

"Being embarrassing with you… it makes me feel like I'm really your friend…"

"Seriously…?"

"Let's just share everything from now on… for real… no more trying to look tough…"

"I can't fully agree with that…but I suppose…." Eli chuckled,

"Anyway… I wonder why this café doesn't have anyone to serve yet... you did knock the table pretty loudly, right?"

"I believe so…" Eli replied.

The two remain quiet, still waiting for the server to come out as they keep knocking and calling out. But no one seems to come out or answer them.

"Well, should we check?" Nozomi asked.

"We came up here because we felt something wrong… so I suppose, if that is what we should do…" Eli said as she stood up from her seat and walks to the counter that was supposed to be where they pay their bill.

But when they arrived there…they couldn't see anyone except the aura that they felt outside feel much stronger.

"This is strange…" Nozomi said.

"Excuse me!" Eli said loudly.

No one answers.

"Really strange…" Eli said before she swiftly moves closer to the door.

Nozomi frowned, knowing that something serious might happen inside…

The two walks in through the door of the kitchen, slowly opening the door that separates the rooms….

"Oh….." Eli and Nozomi's eyes shoot wide open.

They could see, a pool of blood scattered in the kitchen as two female bodies were laying down right above it, there's a man hung on the ceiling while another man seemed to be attacked as a deep cut wound marked his back.

A homicide and suicide in one place…

"God….this is…." Eli placed her palm on her face.

Nozomi swiftly looks around the room,

"Where are their souls though?" She asked.

"I don't know…. either way, we should call the police as soon as possible…"

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere near the café,

A red haired girl—also known as Nishikino Maki, sat in an restaurant along with her parents.

"Maki-chan…" her mother called,

Maki remain quiet as she kept on listening to loud music with her headphones.

"Maki…." Her father called,

Maki didn't answer…

"Maki-chan…" Her mother took off her headphone.

"Oh…yes mama?" Maki replied in surprise,

Her mother and father started to give her a concerned look.

"Are you ok? Lately, you always look gloomy and keep listening music in such high volume…" her mother said in concern.

"Did you have any trouble you can't solve…?" her father asked.

"No….not really…" Maki replied as she averted her eyes.

…Before her parents could answer, Maki could hear someone shout.

"Help! Please! Help us!"

She quickly turns around…but there seems to be no one calling for help…"

"Help! Help us! Can anybody here, hear us?!" said another voice…

But again, nobody is actually shouting for help.

"Maki…?" her father called again.

"Y…yes… papa?" Maki replied again.

"Are you hearing things?" he asked.

"I….might be…" Maki replied.

Her mother gave her a worried looked.

"Have you tried praying in the shrine…?"

"Yes…I did…but…it seems like it doesn't work…"

"Or it just doesn't work immediately… you just need to wait…." Her mother replied.

"Maybe…" Maki replied in her despair.

"Be Strong, ok? If you've got enough, I'll try to find a medical solution for you…" her father said.

Maki smiled at her parents,

"Thank you…mama….papa!" she said cheerfully.

"You're welcome…now…let's ignore everything and eat our dinner!" her mother said which Maki respond with a nod…

But…is it really ok to leave it like that?

The voice that shouts and begs for help hasn't yet stopped and it gets louder and louder.

"Please…!" the voice cried,

"Anybody who can hear us… please!" the voice continued again.

"Save our family!"

* * *

 **There... see you next chapter!**


	8. Ch8 : Meeting The Anger

**Hello-hello!**

 **again, sorry for the delay, but I already got a few chapters on the list waiting to be edited! So it may be uploaded soon (hopefully).**

 **Thanks to Crimson for Edit!**

 **Thanks for reviews/comment/faves and follows!**

* * *

Early morning,

It hasn't yet passed more than a week for them, after the mid-semester exam. A vote was put up to decide what school activities will be held as a relief to the heavy pressure, given by the exams. The School festival won the majority vote, Nozomi and Eli are getting a lot busier in school to prepare them. They were also often getting calls from the police as they both became the witness of the recent tragedy in the café they visited a few nights ago.

That wasn't really their concern, but it was about the soul that they were supposed to see in the crime scene. Before the police came by, they conducted a quick search and didn't find any soul but a strong aura of anger. They found that strange, because according to Nozomi's knowledge, a soul which leaves the body will haunt around the site of death, it doesn't have to be close to the dead body itself…unless they have decided to travel just like Reiko who decided to move on from her death site... but it's a rare occasion as many of the soul who hasn't returned to nirvana are those who refuse to move on from their life.

When Nozomi and Eli arrived in their 'private' room—the student council room… A brand new A3 sized sketch book was placed on the table, with all the previous mind map materials copied in smaller size. They're still neatly arranged and beautifully decorated with non-decorative purpose sketch of early ghosts that they encountered.

Hanako of the toilet is their first encounter. Eli also decided to add the Snow Girl as the second, with short description about each of them and status that they put up as : Friendly Ghost, they gained an extra information from each of the two ghosts.

Hanako added that her purpose of searching for living who wanted to leave their place is that so she could get more friends in where she lives—under the shrine's ground, which apparently is supposed to be a place for deceased priests, priestesses and other friendly ghost.

The time when Hanako accidentally brought Eli, who now is apparently called as the Kyuubi by them, got their soul collection from a lot of years ago wiped out. It was Hanako's fault for not being careful, but the survived souls are forgiving her and they started to schmooze with Eli herself.

It was still unknown to Nozomi about how Eli suddenly has a nine-tail fox soul inside her, but either way, that is also a sign that the ghost in the shrine won't mess with them again, even if that is in fact the work of Dai Mao, she somewhat likes that change to her friend.

About the Snow Girl, she is just a curious soul who likes to travel around Japan. She takes liking to many living beings, but has never tried to take them since she knows her place. At times too—according to herself, she is also the one who invites a lot of lost souls to the nearby shrine to find peace…

A decent ghost like her should get more popularity, she says. Which Nozomi responded with a sharply sarcastic sentence such as 'A decent ghost like those who needs attention from every single SOUL in the world' …

The Snow Girl and Nozomi has become friends with each other, but it was more like a rivalry as the Snow Girl also often attempted to seduce Eli—the crush that Nozomi always had, while Eli herself, well… it can be said that she remains oblivious about that.

Then the third ghost was Kashima Reiko, she is described as a childish ghost, and ever since she helped around the shrine, she takes her job too seriously and tends to accidentally make appearance in the public—other than the time when she did her hobby of scaring people with her disfigurement.

Sometimes, Nozomi wondered if Reiko is actually happy to be disfigured in such a way….

Either way, Reiko is also one of their ghostly friends. She also often gets lonely and decides to disturb whatever activity the two currently does.

The fourth was a friend of Hanako who said to be often lurking around the toilet as well. He is called Akamanto, always wears a red cape and when he doesn't, he wants himself to be called by the color he wears. He is a strange guy and is not quite a pervert—until he met Nozomi and the two messed up with almost everything in the bathroom. Eli always put her palm on her face when the two met.

Last time the two met with each other, they were talking about new color of cape—and that caused Akamanto to buy new colors and asked to be called by the other color on his cape….for example...sparkly-pinky-manto…

He also added a detail that further update will be given when he gets more ideas of how he will want to be called….

The fifth until the twelve, they are nothing in particular. Just common ghosts that lurks around the school or their apartment…not every one of them are friendly but—those who aren't friendly always gets exorcised by Nozomi herself…

Then the thirteenth is not yet finished and it was still the same case that they were facing… about the red haired girl that said to want to be able to solve her hearing problem. They have conducted search in the clinic for a few times by now, though, they have never tried to analyzing the clues they achieved…

When Eli sat and decided to start working on the student council work, Nozomi sighed and places her forehead on the table.

"Haaaahh…. There are so many things we need to do out there… and here is no different…" she said.

"If you are tired, you can go home and I'll make sure to do your work…"

"I want to work with Ericchi, after all, we promised to share everything right? As Great-great-great Best friend?"

Eli chuckled,

"As your Great-great-great Best friend, I'll want you to have the best for yourself and cover you up…"

"Sheesh, sticking around you is already good for me…plus… the fail flirts never fail to amuse me…" Nozomi said as she chuckles...

"Fail flirts? Let me count about how many times you collapse after I…launched my flirting skills on you…"

"I'm just tired…not even related to that…"

"Loser…" Eli replied.

"You're a loser too! That's how you don't have a girl until now" Nozomi said as she smiled at her teasingly.

"Well, you haven't got a girl with you until this year, I thought you were better than that… I mean, I swear you've always been checking on other's body measurement…" Eli said—for some reason, she seemed to take it seriously.

"Huh? Well… didn't I tell you— maybe…I have someone in mind but this girl is just oblivious? Besides, what about yourself? You haven't got a girl with you either!" Nozomi replied.

"Maybe this girl is too oblivious as well!"

"You're just a coward!"

"No way! I could get all the girls if wanted to!" Eli said.

"Liar, you're too awkward to do that! You have the right charm but not the right words! That's why many people prefer to admire you from the distance! They won't bother to listen to your cold-sharp words!"

"What about you then? You're a lot more awkward than I am! You are cute but you're merciless and too carefree! That's also why nobody likes you personally, because you seem better when you just know the person!"

"Just remember the time you ignored the girl who had a crush on you and sent you endless love letters! She decided to walk up to you and confess, but then you say something like: Sorry, you're just nobody for me… just imagine how that scarred her heart!"

"Then, what about you!? Remember the time when that Volleyball captain came up to you and brought you flowers? You accepted it and then dumped it right in front of her, then you said: 'Sorry. I don't take bribes from people like you, my heart belongs to someone else….' then you walk away like nothing happened! Even the next day, you still smiled at everyone around you and acted like you've done nothing wrong!"

"You're saying it like you've never done that. You did that too! Remember that new student screaming out your name each time she saw you? You bluntly said to her that she is too noisy and disgusting…"

"Are you implying that you are just being honest?!"

"Exactly!"

"It's not like anyone will like that!"

"Say that to yourself! But oh-wait… maybe you're not that honest anyway! You can't be honest to yourself—put aside being honest to everyone else!"

"What do you mean I'm not being honest to myself?! I am as honest as I am!"

"I dare you to confess to the girl you like by tomorrow morning, I bet you can't do that!" Nozomi said.

"No! Let's just not do anything about that!"

"Why? Are you scared to be rejected like how you reject everyone else?"

"Because you'll be unfair!"

"Me…Unfair?!"

"Yes! You're always unfair when it comes to this!"

"How could you just decide to judge me like that, huh?!"

"Remember the time when that Basketball team defender asked you to come to the field to meet her in the afternoon, you took me there and just basically claimed that you're already dating me! That was such a big lie! You're bad!"

"Why? Is it because of the lie itself?!"

Eli blushes madly,

"Shut up! I'm just feeling bad for that person!"

"Do you really care?! I don't think you do! You never care about others, right?! That was just an excuse! The Ericchi I know is that cold blooded murderer with sharp words as her weapon…"

"And the Nozomi I know is that person who acted like a two-faced killer! She smiles at first and then kill their heart without mercy in the end! She has no heart and no guilt when it comes to love!"

"Funny that I felt bad about my doing to you earlier!"

"I said—when it comes about love!"

"Then why don't you just take is as my way to hint you that I'm still truly interested in you!"

"You don't need to make fun of me now!" Eli replied as her voice shows a hint of true anger…though it felt more like a cold than heat.

"I know that you're just trying to toy with me. There's no way for someone —especially someone like you to be interested in me! How many times do i have to tell you that I really have nothing for you?!"

"…and how many times do I have to tell you that you are everything I wanted? Or maybe…if I can put it in the same way as you…. maybe you're just trying to be nice to me and pretend that it was you who has nothing to offer…"

Eli frowned at her,

"W-what?! No!"

"I know I have nothing to offer to you as well! I'm not good enough for you and you just want me to think that I am better than you so that you don't hurt me!" Nozomi shouts at her,

"It contradicts with everything else! You said I'm blunt and I don't care about others, then how come I would do that to you?!"

Nozomi pauses,

Now that she points it out—or…perhaps she should think of how random things just moved from their previous conversation….it's started from a teasing that she tried to do, but failed because her sense of humor might have been inappropriate for her.

"The only thing that's clear is that you have the skill to communicate with others… you may appear cruel behind your smile, but you have a kind heart, you refuse to give fake hope, and you learned how to send your ideas to others… didn't you realize that you've slowly become softer and friendlier in front of everyone else? Didn't I tell you that a few nights ago? Did you really care about what I told you?! Or maybe you just faked everything from the beginning?!"

"It's not like you're not! Even though you're still cold when someone approaches you, you started to learn how to listen to others first and be gentle towards the people who are polite towards you!"

"You're just trying to be nice! I don't believe that! "

"Stubborn!"

"Can't you tell that I was being ok around others because you seemed to want me to do that?!"

"What? You're blaming me now?! Ridiculous!" Nozomi frowned at her,

"Didn't I tell you, that I have never liked to talk with others...and I've also never liked it when you were trying to be nice to me…?"

"Because you are anxious when I do that?"

"Exactly! I feeling uncomfortable around people who fake their acts towards me… the same to you! I always feel like you never actually swing the same way as me. You're just trying to make me feel comfortable…and you just wanted to be a friend to me…by pretending to be swinging the same way as me…and you appreciating other women's body is so that you appear to be the same way as me!"

"…and will you explain me why are you doing things because of me? Doesn't that mean you are faking your act as well?"

"It was because I want to know how it feels to do that… it doesn't feel good! Not at all! I feel so much more humiliated! I don't like this job as a student council president, you know? I did this because of you—and because of that Principal!" Eli shoves away all the paper on her table.

"…..you know what, Nozomi…? When you said that you were sick when you suddenly had a nosebleed from my flirting, it made me sure that you weren't excited…"

"Are you saying that—you've been flirting on me out of no-where just to test if I truly swing the same way as you?!"

"…yes, and you were faking it well..! Thanks to you that I was so close to believe it…"

Nozomi remains quiet, but then she smiles mischievously at her,

"….You're not that unique… has anyone told you that?"

Eli frowned, still trying to understand what it's supposed to mean in this case...

"…well… maybe not… maybe you've been in a place where you are treated differently…and made you feel unique….but no, Ericchi… you're not that unique…" she said sarcastically.

"I don't get you…" Eli said.

"I can't believe that from the start of our conversation today, you can't tell which is a lie and which is the truth…you believed every word I spoke and then denied it later…you're weird…and awkward…"

"Do we have to come back to this again?" Eli furiously stares at her.

"I'm not going to argue about which of us is a lot more awkward or weirder… we took too long caring about that…" Nozomi said as she stood up from her seat.

"There's something else that offended me right now…." she continued as she approaches Eli.

"What?" Eli coldly replied to her.

"It's about the way you have said that you don't believe, that I truly swing the same way as you…" Nozomi smiles strangely, before grabbing the helpless blonde—and with out warning—….

* * *

The classroom;

"Nozomi!" Eli shouted at the purplenette who fell asleep in the classroom.

"Hnn…..aahh….Ericchi…." Nozomi mumbled in her sleep.

"Wake up! The exam hour is over and we have to go to the police station right now to give our testimony!" Eli said.

"Hnnghh…..just….one more minute….Ericchi…. I'm going to show you all my orgasm…" Nozomi continued again.

"Orgasm…? Huh? Are you dreaming something perverted about me again?" Eli smirked at her.

"I'm the alpha lesbian….Ericchi…" Nozomi once again mumbled,

"Alpha…what?" Eli's smirk getting wider.

Nozomi didn't respond. She seems to be deep in her slumber.

An idea came up on the blonde's head.

She quickly looked around for any sign of people, then immediately picks up the purplenette—who is surprisingly not that heavy for her.

She moved her all the way to the student council room—a place that they could call as their private place. Well it was Nozomi who said its their private place even though in reality, it wasn't really a private place as the principal always drops by at the end of the week and some students come by from time to time.

She is lucky that it isn't the end of the week… else she wouldn't be able to launch this prank on her.

When Eli managed to move everything else, including their bags to the room, she began to strip Nozomi's clothes down to unbuttoned white shirt. Then placing her on the floor behind the desk…

She lifted both of Nozomi's legs and places them on her shoulder and then holds her waist—lifting it up a little bit and pressing her groin against the sleeping girl's gap… the pose was too much, it looked like they are in the middle of something inappropriate…

Eli waited for her to wake up—or showing a sign that she will wake up…

"Nozomi…." Eli called her suggestively,

"hhnnn….?" Nozomi slowly opens her eyes—to find Eli still fully clothed.

"I'm going in…" Eli said with a smile,

"Going….in….?" Nozomi replied with half of her consciousness.

Then she could feel her underwear being pulled as she also realizes her position—…..

"AAAAAAHHHH!" Nozomi quickly kicked the blonde as she swiftly gets up—blushing madly from the event.

Even though the kick on her face was somewhat painful, Eli still laughed with joy. The face and the reaction was priceless…

"That was hilarious…" Eli said between her laughter.

"W-What?! Are you actually molesting me?!" Nozomi protested.

"Of course not, you were just too deep in your sleep and then you spoke something about being an alpha… it was funny…" Eli said.

"Huh? Then what made you suddenly do this to me? It doesn't make sense and feels so much like a staged act!"

"Well, it is staged act… I staged it….but if you truly want to know my point as of why I'm did that…" Eli pauses as she approaches Nozomi who is still in the middle of fixing her clothes,

"…even if we are going to date…honey… you'll be the bottom and I'll be the top…" she whispered to her ears.

"Since when did you get that kind of confidence…huh?" Nozomi squint her eyes at her,

"I've always been like this…what are you talking about?" Eli replied teasingly...

"besides… I have no idea what you were dreaming of…but—…"

"I was dreaming about arguing with you…it was so realistic and even, the new sketchbook was there too! Then, we just ended up doing things…" Nozomi cuts in before the blonde was able to finish her sentence.

"Then I suppose it's a good dream for you?" Eli replied mockingly.

"No! It wasn't! if only that wasn't a dream!"

"You're like…you know… a woman without shame and I'm just a strong woman, who knows about you too much…so if you are somehow dreaming about me being helpless and you being the one that makes sense…then that's probably just going to be in your imagination forever…" Eli said.

"Ericchi is a spoilsport…"

"Anything new?" Eli replied with a chuckle. Nozomi smirked at her,

"By the way, Nozomi… back to what we were supposed to do today…" Eli said.

"What…?" Nozomi asked,

"The witness testimony… we need to head to the police station as soon as possible and give them what we have…"

"Oh! right…we need to do that quick…" Nozomi said.

"Yes, also… don't forget to keep an eye out for the red haired girl…" Eli replied.

"Yep! Got it!'

"Also…hmm… I wonder if everyone submitted their vote…"

"Eh…what?" Nozomi tried to make a confirmation.

"The vote…Nozomi…the vote about which school activity we will do before the last semester exam…"

"Uhm…that will be the…the school festival…" Nozomi said.

"What?"

"The school festival will win the vote…" Nozomi said again.

"How can you…..?!" Eli seemed to be flustered,

"Well...I'm just thinking that because… in my dream before…we were preparing for the school festival…" Nozomi said.

"Ridiculous…" Eli put her palm on her face.

"You said that because your dream said so…?"

"Well, if you don't believe me…then let's just wait…" Nozomi said.

Then suddenly, she raises her eyebrows,

"Oh My God! Does that also mean… we will be intimate soon?!"

"Not a chance…Nozomi…" Eli sighed.

"Oh come on! One can dream… because Ericchi is such a spoilsport… what's wrong with admitting that you're into me… we can always date too!"

"What about you then? Are you even ready to take my charm?"

"Taking your charm? Of course…!"

Both remain quiet for a moment before Eli decided to move closer to Nozomi. She started with brushing her hand on Nozomi's shoulder, down to her arm…

It was so slow and gentle…

"Are you…really…?" Eli said suggestively…

And at the time Eli say that, Nozomi feel something has made her all tense.

"Y-Yes! O-Of course!" she said.

"You don't seem like it…" Eli said with the sultriest voice Nozomi has ever heard directly from someone's mouth.

Within a moments loss, Nozomi's nose bled sprouts greatly out of her nose—to Eli's white shirt.

"Aaah! My shirrttt!" Eli complained.

"S-Sorry! Ericchi! But…I survived this time… see?" Nozomi said.

"You're certainly alive—but my shirt! You killed it!" Eli quickly touched her shirt,

"L…let me clean that…" Nozomi said as she quickly touch Eli's shirt.

Immediately, an imagination passes on her mind—the image of herself stripping Eli's clothes…..

Then the blood shoots out of her nose again but this time, towards Eli's face.

"N-Nozomi!"

"I'm so sorry Ericchi! I'll fix that!"

When she tried to clean the blood out of her face…she unintentionally touched Eli's lips—which somehow made her think about having her thumb being sucked by the blonde…

And another spray of red came out again.

"Nooooozooooooommmiiiiiiiiiiiii! Can you just stop thinking about anything perverted for now?!"

* * *

The Police station;

Thanks to the previous incident, Nozomi and Eli had to return to their own apartment to change their clothes and fix a few things that needed their attention.

When they arrived in the police station, they had to meet a detective, who would be taking care of the case. The two are expecting the detective to be one old-man or perhaps the cool type that often becomes the star in a typical detective story…

But….

"Good morning…" a female voice came up in the room, which surprised both Eli and Nozomi.

"Oh…morning…" they replied plainly.

"Why do you two not seem excited…? Isn't this the kind of thing that makes people excited…?" she asked.

The two remain quiet, flustered of what to say,

"A lot of people likes mystery…"

Eli and Nozomi were still quiet as they stare at her, walking to the seat in front of them and taking a seat.

"Witnesses are important for one case to be solved, without them it will be harder to solve—but the harder it becomes, the more challenge and the more achievement we get…"

Eli and Nozomi turn to each other, wondering if any of them understand the purpose of such sentence.

"We will not be playing the regular kind of investigation right now…and just because you two are high-school students, it doesn't mean that I'll be easy on you…especially, because I think you two got some wits…"

"We got…what?" Eli tried to ask again.

"Pretending to be stupid, pretending to be deaf, both are some nice disguises for one criminal to get their innocent verdict…"

"I don't—…."

"Do you like ice creams? Or Candies…?" The detective asked as she cuts Eli's statement.

The two remain quiet again,

"Ah—pardon my rudeness then, my name is Chieko Harada, sounds like a dog's name, right?" the detective said.

Eli and Nozomi still flustered.

"Well…so you are Ayase Eli and Toujou Nozomi… A pair of lovebirds from Otonokizaka High-school, the student council president and her loyal vice president… scoring the best mark in almost every test and study… there's no way for you two to not understand what I'm trying to hint here…"

Once again, the pair keep silent, they could grasp the idea—but not quite about the reason why she has to say all that anyway…

"I see. With this amount of patience or let's say—carefulness, no wonder that you two are the school's second year's ace. Or perhaps those are just because you are used to getting a lot of troublesome love letters every morning? Probably not, right? You two in fact—hate them…so you two always dumped it anywhere possible…"

Eli and Nozomi started to feel like this detective has done some investigation on them without their knowledge. Did she see what happened this afternoon as well? Hope not…

"Say, I need each of you to answer this within three seconds, what is the tallest mountain in the solar system?"

"Mount Olympus…?" Eli replied immediately. Nozomi hasn't got a chance to answer it.

"What is it that always comes but never arrives?"

"Tomorrow…" Eli replied again immediately. Giving no chance for Nozomi to think of answers…

"What 3 positives numbers give the same result when multiplied and added together?"

"One, Two, and Three…" Eli replied again without a doubt.

"Which plant is hardest to harvest when it is wet?"

"Tobacco…" Eli replied again.

"There is a house, one enters it blind and comes out seeing…what is it?"

"A School…" Eli once again replied.

"An Ancient invention that lets people see through walls…"

"A window…" Eli replied again.

The detective went quiet as she keeps staring at Eli. Then suddenly, a sharp knife was thrown from an unexpected direction—towards Eli and she immediately dodges it.

"Catch!" The detective shouted as she threw something black and textured—even though Eli caught it for a second, she quickly throws it away the next.

When Nozomi was able to see what the thing exactly was…

She could see a grenade…

Obviously a fake one…

"That was nice, Eli…" said the detective.

"I don't see that as a compliment…" Eli replied.

"That was not… but now I see that you two might be the real suspects…" the detective said.

"Excuse us…?" Nozomi tried to confirm about what she just heard.

"One of the suspect who have done a big hit to one of the victim—the owner of a nearby restaurant, is a slow person, but powerful. Then towards him, the owner of the café, one fast swing but accurate and deadly—then also require a very swift thinking and wit to make it appear to be a suicide. Then the rest of the victim, females… everyone could kill them, but with enough evidence, we will be able to figure out about the true identity of the killer…"

"How can you think Nozomi to be powerful…?" Eli asked.

"Maybe, not as powerful as you—Ms. Perfect, but with her current record at school, the iron ball tossing, she gained a decent score which is enough to be compared with a deep and powerful killing blow…"

"I thought we were here to give our testimony—not being suspected like this…" Nozomi replied.

"That's one less witty comment, but you tried…" the detective said.

"We don't even have the right motive…" Nozomi said again.

"Alright, that's nice… but can one kill without them?" the detective asked,

"We're sane enough…" Nozomi replied again.

"Alcohol… it's a crime to drink before one reaches age twenty… we can conduct a test to prove that…" the detective said.

"Go on…" Nozomi said.

"That's unfair..." Eli replied.

"Wait…Ericchi…what?" Nozomi asked.

"In my home country, it was fine to drink before twenty… if you conducted the test on me—even though I have never drunk any in this very place, I might still have the chance to fail on proving that I'm purely not contaminated by it…"

The detective chuckled,

"I'm amazed by your honesty, but if that's truly what happen, then you shouldn't worry. A second year, like you….should've been living here for more than a year…or months… you shouldn't be still carrying them, unless you did some drinking at the past few weeks ago…or at the night of the murder which is just about three days ago in the morning…"

"Then go on, conduct the test…" Eli said.

"Wait a minute…" Nozomi said.

"What?" Eli asked.

"In the morning?" Nozomi asked.

"Oh…right…she said in the morning?" Eli asked to confirm.

"Yes… the time of the death for each of them are in the morning… then you two reported at night..." the detective said.

"We have an alibi for that case…" Eli replied,

"Yes… we both were attending our exam… then we went to the clinic...to search for someone specific…we couldn't find her so we stopped by during the night of that very day…. If you're asking about what we did at the next day, we do pretty much nothing on the weekends, just studying and be stressed for this last day…"

"Very well, then… you two…can you start describing about what exactly brought you to the café…?" the detective asked.

"It was—…" before Eli was able to speak out, Nozomi cuts in,

"We were looking for parfaits…and then we see this quiet café—because we love being alone together…"

"A…parfait…?"

"Yep, pretty much that's what we were looking for… the best meal for a romantic date…"

"Since when were we dating…" Eli mumbled softly.

"I see… then, have you two conducted an experimental act towards each other's prison purse?"

"W-wait...what? Prison purse?" Eli raises her eyebrow in confusion.

"No we haven't… we're still a pure and happy couple…a characteristic of smart students like us to be honest…" Nozomi said.

"I find it funny when it comes from you, Toujou Nozomi… however, I'll believe that…or at least…try to believe it…" the detective said.

"We've never done any crime other than stealing each other's heart…." Nozomi said with a smile.

"That was cheesy…" Eli put her palm on her face as she whisper to herself.

"Very well then, you two… into the next section— I want to listen about what you two thought, before finding out about the very crime scene along with the details about what you two saw in the very place.

"We were wondering why no one came by after we tried to call for them a couple of times..." Nozomi said.

"Then we decided to look into the kitchen and saw that immediately…" Eli added.

"Did you make a call right after it…?

"No, we decided to take a little tour around the café for a bit to see if there were anything else we needed to report…" Nozomi said.

"Also if it was truly a murder scene or just a prank…" Eli said.

"As smart as you two are, young ladies… that was quite the right thing to do… but I have not seen either of you two cry in fear or have any other reaction in that matter, like most female will, during their first encounter with such things…"

"I have to admit, it wasn't the first time for us to see dead bodies…" Nozomi said.

The detective seemed to make an eye that says: something is suspicious between these two.

"We've seen them in the movie too…" Eli added.

"Movie….? You two are…."

"We're quite a fan of mystery, just like what you said earlier…" Eli said.

"Yep, that kind of horror will not make us scream and run like a chicken…" Nozomi said.

Then suddenly the lights goes off without warning,

A gasp came out from one of the girls in the room, then Nozomi and Eli could feel cold hands grabbing them. Seeing no light emitting from it, they instantly figured out the person holding their hands. Immediately grabbing the hands back and strongly holding it.

No one scream, no one running, but…

"Ah….aren't you a little too cold for one who is used to with mysteries…?" said the detective.

"Shut up…" Eli said.

"Unhand me now, you two… I'll turn the light back on…" said the detective.

They unhanded her and let her turn the lights back on.

"Alright, so from you, Miss-Not-So-Perfect-After-All…" the detective look at Eli.

"….You have a fear with the darkness…" she continued.

"Really…?" Nozomi lifted her eyebrows. Surprised among the discovery,

"It's not that apparent, when you see it, but I can feel the cold sweat that just came up immediately after it went dark…" the detective continued, while Eli seemed to be quiet about it.

"Say, from your perspective about this….friend of yours... has she done anything ridiculously mindless when it's dark…?" the detective asked Nozomi.

"Now that you mention it…." Nozomi tried to remember the previous event where Eli had to face the darkness.

"Yes…she did…" she continued.

"How was this mindless act…?"

Eli gets somewhat nervous as the question comes up,

"I request for my right to not speak of something personal…" Nozomi replied. Eli sighed

"Your answer might save her, you see…because, there's something else about the murder…"

"To clear up your suspicion on us then, let me tell you that we both have never known the victims…it was also our first time being in the very café… it doesn't make sense for us to somehow give that much effort to come in early morning, and do such a thing that gives us nothing in return…"

"And the fact that if we ever went to commit murder that morning, we wouldn't bother to return at night just to make ourselves appear in the case…"

The detective nodded,

"….say though, you made us stumble into this interrogation because you found something has gone wrong in the site of murder, right? So you were looking for an answer by putting your suspicion into us…?" Nozomi asked,

The detective smirked,

"Heh… you little teenagers are too witty now…guessing that in just one simple conversation…" she said.

"…but I will still not involve you in the investigation…this is all you can do to contribute…" she continued again.

"Sure… I understand that you might get sued for using an under-aged person to work on your bidding without payment…" Nozomi said.

"W-Way to say it…but for real though… no one would have thought of you two as high-school students even if I tried…" the detective replied.

"Can we just leave now…? I feel like we've done everything we can do…" Eli said.

"Eh—uhm….sure…go on…" the detective said—she seemed to be losing her spirit.

"Are you sure, you don't need our help? Some extra brain will do some work…right?" Nozomi asked.

"Ahaha..no-no… thanks though…" the detective said.

"Let's just head off, Nozomi…" Eli said as she stood up and pulled Nozomi away from the room.

With a concerned look, Nozomi peeked at the sad detective who smiled at them as she waves gently.

* * *

The two walks all the way to Nozomi's apartment,

It was already night time, but since tomorrow is just one short meeting for them, they decided to stay in one place. Eli has always been used to this ever since they got closer with each other.

"Ericchi…." Nozomi called her,

"Hmm..?" Eli replied as she was currently writing something down on a small paper—which might be for their mind-map.

"Shouldn't we go back to the café to conduct our own investigation…? I mean…we did feel something has gone wrong and the angry soul might still be there…"

"We need to wait for the police to finish with their business there… I believe that soul can wait…"

Nozomi gloomed as she heard it,

"But what if what the soul wants is justice…?"

"…and you think they realize that they're dead…?"

"Maybe…." Nozomi said.

"What if the massacre happened for a long time? By then, the dead will surely realize that they were in danger…and then they will haunt and scream for help forever…" Nozomi said.

Eli sighed,

"It doesn't happen that long for the two male…but perhaps it was for the female… and that came up just from my own perspective as I looked at the dead body…" Eli replied.

"You did pay attention to the details... so how was it exactly…?" Nozomi asked.

"Just read the things in my sketchbook…." Eli pointed to her sketchbook. Nozomi—having no choice, as she could see Eli being very serious on her writing, decided to pick up the book and started to read the top paper…

 _May 27,_

 _Reiko came up to us, she asked if we could help someone with her problem. She said, this someone could hear things happening around her, but she couldn_ _'_ _t see it. I bet it must be a big problem for her as she might confuse it with the voice of the living_ _…_ _perhaps if I_ _'_ _m to be her, I_ _'_ _ll try to avoid the crowd and put on loud music in my ears_ _—_ _pretending that I_ _'_ _ll never hear anything until someone will make enough effort to call me._

 _Reiko also said that she should be around the Nishikino clinic, but when we tried to approach the place, a lot of people said that they often saw her, but none of them know where she could be since she randomly picks her place to sit around. Honestly, I_ _'_ _m always suspecting the garden as her favorite site. There aren_ _'_ _t many souls there according to my sight, but I don_ _'_ _t know if Nozomi noticed that detail as well. But, either way I believe she will be the one to solve this case again in the end._

Then the paragraph ended—but an arrow was made under it, leading to a new page with a new paragraph.

 _On the same day of our mission_ _,_

 _We found a family slaughtered in their own caf_ _é_ _, it was horrible, alright, but something felt wrong as we couldn't see any soul haunting the very place. Instead, I think the outside of the place has more of them. We also could feel a big angry aura enveloped in the area, but even after we tried to look around, we couldn_ _'_ _t_ _find a soul_ _…_

 _I know Nozomi is confused as well. But just in case this will happen to come in handy, I_ _'_ _ve drawn what my eyes saw that very night_ _…_ _thanks to my photographic memory_ _…I_ _'_ _m still not able to forget the details until now_ _…_

Nozomi tilts her head slightly. Then she looks at the sketch of the crime scene. She doesn't quite remember the details but… Eli…indeed drew them all. It's amazing and scary at the same time…

There's a big man hung on the ceiling, with a long and tough rope tied to the pipe next to the sink. He has a slit across his neck, with blood running down to stain his collar. He brings nothing but there's a big knife on the floor under him. At the table, there laid a slender and slim man with gloves only on one of his hand.

On the other side of the floor, there were two female's sprawled on the ground… in the perspective, she could not see the face, but Eli also wrote that one of them looked like a middle aged woman while the other one looked like a teenager.

The details of the tattered shirt and messy clothing are well drawn. There's also a note about the clothes and how it looked like it was pulled up on the back of the collar. But what might have been done to her? It seems impossible for one to have the collar appear to be pulled up—was she dragged there instead of falling on her own, in the very spot?

Nozomi could see another paper attached next to the one she was on, with an arrow connecting them, the paper said,

 _Nozomi used to tell me, when one soul leaves its vessel, they should be wandering around the very place it left its body. Unless the soul returned to the light, going to a pilgrimage like Reiko_ _—_ _or be eaten by the other creature_ _…like…_ _the beast that she said, happens to be inside me_ _…_ _. there_ _'_ _s no way for them to leave their death site_ _…_

 _I also heard that one building will become the limit of one soul to travel_ _—_ _not an exact limit, but a limit that they made by themselves, which is caused by their thoughts, that refuses to move on from what they stumbled into. It_ _'s a complex concept, I admit_ _…_

 _Either way, I have not seen any soul when I took a venture in the very building. I wonder if there_ _'_ _s a way for them to be stuck somewhere else? Or perhaps they just moved on, despite their terrible death? What can explain the Aura of Anger inside that place?_

"Ericchi…" Nozomi called.

"Hmm…?" Eli replied as she sticks a tape on the paper that she just finished.

"Do you want to take a look at the place again?"

"Tonight?" Eli asked.

"Yes…." Nozomi replied.

Eli remain quiet as she stare into her friend,

"We have a meeting tomorrow…wouldn't it be best if we get some sleep?" she said. Nozomi knows that it might be just an excuse for her to not go in the darkness of the night…or at least, that's what she thought ever since that detective revealed her weakness… a weakness that she never expected. Either way though…

"I'll bring a lot of flash lights… I have about three of them here… along with batteries and everything else…I'll make sure everything is bright enough for us to take another venture in that place…"

"The police have put up their line and we really should not do anything to it… remember that the detective as well said that giving our testimony was all we could do…"

"But are you not curious? Just for a little…?"

Eli remain quiet for a moment again.

"I am…curious… but I know my place…. I don't want to mess with their work… that's all…"

"Then, what if we just take a look outside…? Then maybe ask for help from others?"

"And…what is 'others' in your context…?"

"Hmm...one that can't be seen by normal human beings…?"

"Oh…you mean… them…" Eli sighed,

"Who else? Besides, we're currently doing a favor for Reiko too, right? Maybe she wants to help us in return…?"

Eli sighed again,

"I guess, if you think you can do it that way… but I hope you know what to tell them…"

"Hmm… I think you should be the one to tell them though…"

"...and why is that? They're not even my friend…"

Nozomi chuckled,

"What are you saying, Ericchi…. they've turned you to a friend…you see? So just say ok, will you?"

Eli once again sighed before Nozomi gave out a smile to her.

* * *

Once the two arrived at the site,

The police tape spread from one corner of the building to the other. The lamp was left on and a few police seemed to be on guard duty. They only asked Reiko and the Snow Girl to come with them—knowing that the other two of their friends aren't that easy to be asked about stuff like this.

"Hnngmm…. Nozomi-chan…Eli-chan…. are you two sure that you two could feel an aura of anger inside?" The Snow girl asked,

"Yes…we're very sure…"

"Hmm…..sadly, I don't see it in there… but…." the snow girl looks at a different direction.

"I can see something behind that building…" she said as she pointed to a luxurious restaurant.

"Behind that restaurant…?" Nozomi widen her eyes.

"Yep… there's something big….and…uh…..angry…." the Snow Girl said.

"Hmm... she is right, I certainly could feel something big and angry behind that restaurant…" Reiko said.

"Come to think of it, one of the victim is the owner of that restaurant…" Eli said.

"Ah, is that so…? Then… something might've happened there…" Reiko said.

"Can you two check?" Nozomi asked.

"Only…if someone else was the one who asked…" the snow girl and Reiko said as they glanced towards Eli.

Eli smirked and then rolled her eyes…

"Isn't there just another way? Maybe we can just check it out together… I'm sort of interested to know as well…." she said.

"Ooh—of course!" the two ghosts replied.

"Hey…you two…aren't you two a little disgusting?" Nozomi said boldly.

"Pssh—You're just jealous because you can't do that, right-right?" The Snow Girl said as she floats closer to Eli, which was responded with a gentle shove. No one feels anything wrong with Eli being able to touch a ghost—not even Nozomi herself…perhaps she is just focused on something else?

"Such a low-confidence woman…" Reiko said proudly.

"…and you're the one to say that! Legless!" Nozomi said.

"Let's go…" Eli said as she already headed to the restaurant...

"Ah—Ericchi! Wait!"

* * *

Night time,

When the two came in to the restaurant, they started to look at the menu first. ..especially…the price….

"W…wow…." Eli smirked

"This is….super expensive… 3000-5000 yen per meal?" Nozomi said.

"I wonder if they have anything that we could…uhm..afford…" Eli said.

"I heard they have a package in specific hours…" The Snow Girl said.

"How do you even know that…" Nozomi said.

"Eh, I've heard things…you see… hmm…" the Snow Girl pauses, then she look up to the clock that placed near the street lamp.

"Ah…it should be… starting from 10 PM until early morning… A dinner for two…"

"A dinner for…two…how much that will be?" Eli asked.

"Well…it's not that expensive… just 30.000 Yen…."

"30.000 YEN?!" Eli and Nozomi exclaimed.

"Why? I thought you two have enough…? It can be cheaper if you two split the bill…"

"15.000 Yen….Is still expensive! Why would we pay that much to have our dinner?!" Nozomi said.

"Normally, the price of a restaurant is about 1000 yen until 3000 yen….just what kind of thing do they have that they are brave enough to put up that price?!" Eli complained.

"It's a high-class restaurant…" the snow girl said.

"I know! But still! That's more than half price of the average!"

"Well, then, maybe we can help with that…" Reiko said.

"Huh? Are you going to pay?" Nozomi asked.

"No way, but there's always be another way to get you two in…" Reiko said.

"Huh…? Don't tell me…." Nozomi said as she squints her eyes at her...

Reiko giggled mischievously

"Leave it to us… just get in line, will you?"

Nozomi and Eli looks at each other...wondering what kind of trick she might have up her sleeve…

* * *

After a while,

The two has finally got into the main room to have their food. They wanted to know how Reiko and the Snow Girl did it, but their name is somehow written and also marked as paid in the front.

The room is huge and surrounded by giant windows covered with big red curtains. A few rare plants placed in every corner and bright luxurious lamp hanging above them.

"Is it really ok to do this…?" Eli whispered to Nozomi as they both waited for the food to come.

"I don't know…but looks like they actually got this thing going right…" Nozomi replied.

"I'm not talking about if it'll actually be safe for us to do this, but it's about… are we doing any favor to them? Don't you feel bad for doing this without paying a single coin?!" Eli replied again.

"Let's just pretend that we're doing a favor by taking care of the angry ghost's behind this very place…" Nozomi said.

Before Eli was able to respond, the Snow Girl and Reiko approach them…

"We've done a checking!" the Snow Girl said energetically.

"What did you get?" Eli replied as she turns to her.

"Well, uh…we found out that… there are two scary men…they are wandering around the back of the restaurant…. It seems that both are chefs, they are still holding a big knife with them… The big one is limping and his head seems to be almost falling off, the slender one has a big scar on the back, they don't look like they are in any condition to talk…" Reiko said.

"They've probably turned into a vengeance soul, which means that they could make an appearance and harm the living…in only a short time though…"the snow girl added.

"Only…a short time?" Nozomi asked.

"Yes, soul of vengeance are only able to touch you at specific hours, that will be around 4:44 AM to 5:00 AM…" The Snow girl replied,

"Means, they only have 16 minutes to be able to do something…?" Eli asked.

"Yes… because at 4:44 AM, the representative of the underworld, a demon, to be precise, will come out to take the loot. The loot will be the lost souls that wander around the world… the gate and power of the underworld will come out and it will give an ability to every soul where they will be able to touch the living as well as the living able to do harm to them. " The Snow girl explained.

"In most cases though, people who are alive are the ones to get hurt the most… because they are always cowering when they see the intimidating face of the dead…" Reiko added again.

"16 minutes is enough to slaughter one being…" Nozomi said.

"Yes…plus, they also usually devour their victim's soul…because every vengeance soul will always be thirsty for power and they get plenty of it by doing such…" Reiko said..

"Talking from experience, Reiko-chan?" The Snow Girl said teasingly.

"Oh come on! I wasn't that dangerous! I'm just easily angry at stupid people!"

"Uh-huh..sure-sure…" The Snow Girl said.

"I'm a holy woman now… a good spirit…" Reiko said.

"You still like wandering around the bathroom…to do your thing…" The snow girl said,

"Putting that aside now…" Reiko changed the topic,

"….I think you two should enjoy your meal… I've picked the best ones…" she continued before a waitress came by to place their meal on the table.

It's a big plate of spaghetti…with oriental sauce and tasty looking meat…. The scent and everything makes it worth calling an elite meal.

Then the waitress places a pair of forks and knifes above the white tissue. As the waitress left, Eli and Nozomi stare at each other, wondering if it's really fine to do that.

"Why are we….having one big meal instead of two?" Eli asked as she smirks.

"Oh—you know, I watched this cartoon before, a pair of dogs were given spaghetti then they kissed…and—…" Reiko started to ramble.

"I don't even know what cartoon that is…" Nozomi cuts in.

"Must be talking about those dogs…." Eli put her palm on her face.

"What's a cartoon?" The Snow Girl asked.

"Aahh—either way, just start eating, you two!" Reiko exclaimed.

Nozomi and Eli sighed and they started to take the spaghetti with their fork. On the first bite, they already accidentally took the same string of spaghetti, then they dropped it at the same time and took from another side—but then, it's the same string again…

They did that over and over—wondering why they always keep taking the same string until they've had enough and decided to not care about it anymore. They took their first bite, watched by the two ghosts which seemed to be curious of what would happen next.

When the two proceed to almost completely swallow the entire string, they found out that they could kiss if they let the strings connect them….

Instead of that though, Eli, whose cheeks were reddened by the idea of them kissing, quickly absorbed the string and took out what was inside the other girl's mouth.

"Awnndwamb…..Ewechii…whow..waudl…wuws …" Nozomi tried to speak with her mouth full. Eli remain silent as she swallows her meal.

"This is….indirect kiss…" Reiko whispered to her ghost friend.

"Looks like Nozomi wants it to be direct…" The snow girl whispered.

Then after, Eli keeps eating while Nozomi seemed to be slower when eating her meal…

Though after a moment, Nozomi seems to be in denial about how she is much slower when eating. She tried to eat faster and use her drinks to hasten up. Eli who noticed it, quickly tried to catch up too—and she didn't even know why…

It turned out to be an eating competition between the two. At the last string of spaghetti… one last string and the two kept staring at it….

 _Who is going to eat that?_

The question that they give to each other with their eyes…

 _Maybe me…._

The two said with their gesture… about to take the meal…

Nozomi was about to take it, but Eli is slightly faster than her and its enough time for her to roll the last string on her fork, and eats it immediately.

"That was disappointingly a fail…" Reiko said.

"Yeah… no kiss happened…" the Snow Girl said.

The second meal arrived immediately after their first meal finished— the waitress speaks nothing about the stunt they just pulled when eating… perhaps she knows that was one awkward thing to be seen in the eye of the public.

The second meal is a steak, once again, a big chunk of steak with mushroom sauce, well cut potatoes and a few carrots placed near it. Nozomi's eyes sparkled in delight….If anything, she looks like someone who really will enjoy her meal…

 _Meat…._

Nozomi said in her mind as she immediately pulls over the plate. Eli seemed to be surprised, though she just smiled at her…

"You love meat, huh?" Eli said.

"Yes…." Nozomi replied as she immediately cuts the meat without questioning if the blonde wants it too.

"Well then, you can have it…. I don't want to eat too much at night…" Eli said.

"Thanks!" Nozomi replied as she quickly chows down her meal.

Halfway, Nozomi realized that maybe it's too selfish of her to eat it all by herself, she did hear Eli say that she doesn't want to eat too much at night…but… is it really what she says?

"Uhm…Ericchi, are you sure about this? I started to feel bad…" Nozomi said.

Eli smiled at her,

"I'm very sure that I enjoy seeing you eating that much… let's just make sure that you burn those fats tomorrow… a few kilometers extra in our daily jogging…" Eli said.

"Sheesh, that's not nice!"

Eli chuckled,

"I'm serious…anyway, just eat it…I actually enjoy it…"

Nozomi puffed her cheek before she cuts her meat into a bite size piece before offering it to Eli,

"Eat this too then! Do this as a favor for me…!" she said.

Eli chuckled before she carefully accepted Nozomi's offer. The way she pulled the meat away from the fork… and the way she held her hair to not disturb her mouth from cleanly reach the meat… that alone was enough to make Nozomi's heart scream in excitement.

What she just did…

Made her feel so special…

Even though it's not quite like that…

Or perhaps is it?

"Harasho…." Eli said as she tasted the meat.

"The meal is delicious…" she continued.

With that, Nozomi quickly stabs her fork to the last piece of the meat, then once again offered it to Eli.

"Please!" she said in all seriousness.

"Eat it once again! Slowly!" Nozomi demanded,

Eli raises her eyebrow…flustered...but….

She decided to just fulfill her request anyway—while wondering the reason why…

She slowly started from the tip of the meat…

Nozomi's heart started to beat faster as she watches how Eli's lips slowly swallow the meat that stuck on her fork.

In her imagination…

Eli is currently… swallowing her fingers from the tip…

When Eli slightly shows her tongue as her mouth open a little wider—trying to get the meat off her fork…

There's nothing else she could think of but her desire to know how that smooth tongue will taste like.. or about how she could get a chance to taste it…

It's so conflicting and she wishes she could do something else about it…

She wishes she could sticks her tongue inside her mouth—to feel those soft lips currently nibbling on the meat—or in Nozomi's imagination, it would be her fingers.

Maybe, it's true that she did not feel how soft and gentle the nibble is, or maybe how warm to be inside her mouth…but…for real…

It tickles her everywhere and thinks that if there's somehow a way for her to be intimate right now…. But she might want to go home right now to start imagining…

"SIN!" suddenly someone shouted.

"E-Eeeh!?" Nozomi and Eli was surprised and the two quickly made a distance,

"R-Reiko-chan! W-What are you doing?!" The Snow Girl said to her as she tried to shut her mouth...

No one in the very room noticed the shout, but….

A red haired girl put her attention to somewhere around her—then taking a notice to the couple…a familiar couple that she saw in the clinic's garden.

She also noticed…The couple is currently looking somewhere and they looked like they're chatting with the voice that she could hear but without any visible source.

"Reiko….!" Nozomi complained.

"….don't scream! Sheesh!" The snow girl added.

"No one else will hear me, don't worry…" Reiko said.

"It's not about that! It's my ear that you're hurting!"

"Oh…"

The red haired girl tried to pay attention to them, wondering if her ears were right.

"Speaking of which…" the couple and the unknown voice continued to chat. The red haired girl seemed to be very intrigued with it. Are those two really able to chat with the unknown voice? Will they be able to help her with her problem?

Surely, fate might've brought them both there…to the very site…

The red haired girl look at both of her parents, who are still in a conversation…she wanted to approach that couple to confirm her thoughts, but…

What can she do…?

Perhaps, it's not going to be bad for her if she just tried to approach closer by pretending to be going to the restroom…since their seat is much closer to theirs anyway…

"Mama…Papa….I'm going to the toilet…." She said.

"Sure, Maki-chan…" her parents replied at the same time.

So the first thing she did was get a closer look at them…

Passing through behind them—Maki didn't know that the two ghosts were facing to her and they both see her.

"WAH! THAT'S THE PERSON I NEEDED YOU TWO TO LOOK FOR!" they shouted at the same time as they also pointed to where Maki is. Nozomi and Eli quickly turned at her while Maki… well… she just heard something, but doesn't really know what to do…

"Oh…are you….?" Eli tried to ask,

"Nishikino….?" Nozomi finished her question.

* * *

Nozomi, Eli, and Maki decided to start talking with each other in the restroom,

Nozomi and Eli explained about what they've heard from the ghosts that Maki cannot see…

"I see…" the red haired girl said,

"That was indeed right… I have that ability to hear what I cannot see…" she continued again.

"So…what are you exactly trying to do…?" Eli asked.

"I wanted to get rid of that ability…" Maki said

"Hmm…so I assume you just don't like it…?"

"Not at all…" Maki replied again.

"Then, the only way for you is to keep coming to the shrine and pray for your ability to be gone…" Nozomi said.

"Wait a minute, Nozomi…what about that old woman you told me about?" Eli asked,

"Oh…Kagemi-san? Well… she told me, it's easy to open one's sense as each person has the ability inside, but to close one's sense is harder… it needs to be the will of the Gods…" Nozomi replied.

"I see…" Maki seemed to be sad.

"But, truly. you're born that way…. Don't you think that you might have a reason to have it…? Because… I believe, every birth occurs because of God's will…including yours…" Nozomi said.

Maki sighed,

"If that's the case, then God might want me to turn insane…with all the voices I hear, I can't live in peace… I had to cover my ears with music to make it stop bothering me…" she replied.

"Then...embrace it instead of running from it…" Nozomi said.

"I don't want to…" she replied.

"I hate it…." she continued again.

Nozomi and Eli remain quiet as she watches the red haired girl biting her lips.

"That's why… please…somehow…make me stop hearing them…."

"Was it that bad to hear us talking…?" Reiko asked.

"Yes…it is…" Maki replied immediately.

"Is it not because you just can't see us?"

"Hearing your kind shouting for help is scary enough for me…I don't want to look…" Maki said.

"That was such a petty excuse…" The Snow Girl said bluntly.

"What are you saying…?!" Maki looks angered by the statement.

"You prefer to ignore someone who shouts for help, covering your eyes and covering your ears… do you think someone would be happy to be treated like that?" The Snow Girl said again.

"What do you say about the way they ruined my life…? I never had any friends because you spirits are calling for help and I could not see you! They told me, I'm creepy! They also told me that I was a weirdo! They also told me…that I will never be able to listen properly! This is all not my fault but theirs!" Maki said loudly.

"You are not the only one who has gone through that, look at the two people right in front of you!" The snow girl said as she pointed to Eli and Nozomi.

"Huh? What? Me? I just got this recently…exclude me…" Eli replied.

"Ericchi—that's not quite her point…." Nozomi whispered.

"You are selfish, that's my point. A kid like you will never learn how the world works before you expand your view…especially about people around you! You centered every single problem in the world on yourself and imply that everyone around you is selfish and naturally doesn't care about your feelings…" The Snow Girl said again.

"But that's the whole truth, isn't it? People don't care about my feelings!" Maki argued again.

"That's because you don't care about them either! But you know what? You're not the only one who can think! You're not the only one who can be angry either! A lot of people around you, in fact, would complain about everything else as well!"

Maki remained quiet, she bit her lips again,

"See? You are speechless…right? Because you have no idea of what you could say? You're just a kid, a big kid who still thinks that she is the most mature one…a big baby who still needs to be pampered… by your parents and by everyone else around you…what a spoiled brat…"

"What did you say?!" Maki frowned deeply.

"Now-now, that's enough of this…" Nozomi said.

Eli still remained in silent about the recent argument.

"….to put it simply, uh…Nishikino-chan… are you very sure about it? About wanting to give up that ability of yours…." Nozomi asked.

Maki turn her eyes away as she pouts,

"…if you decide to tend further, you could help some souls around you… but… if you decide to give up...that means you will start to live like the rest…" Nozomi continued.

"I'm very sure that I don't need to have this stupid ability… Those souls are meant to be on the other side…why would we have to deal with them…" Maki said.

"An arrogant way of thinking, but you should know that those who died used to live and they would also demand their right to exist—to be successful towards their goals before they leave entirely…" The Snow Girl said,

"Whatever… I don't care anymore…" Maki said.

"Then… if that's your decision… you have to pray every day in the shrine, say that you really don't want to hear it nor be involved with and spiritual beings…" Nozomi said.

"I'll do that… until I could stop listening to those spirits…" Maki said again before she decided to leave the restroom immediately.

"What a troublesome kid…" Reiko said.

"Really… I hate how she thinks about us…" the Snow Girl said.

"At least I can understand her a little…" Nozomi said.

"Really? You do?" The Snow Girl asked.

"Yep…" Nozomi nodded.

"Well…I don't! Not a single bit!" The Snow Girl said sarcastically.

Eli still decided to keep her mouth shut, though her eyes show a hint of concern—as if, she could understand her entirely for some reason.

* * *

At the time Nozomi, Eli and the two ghost left the restroom,

They could see a crowd of staff seemed to be troubled with something—or someone on the ground.

"Miss Nishikino…? Are you ok?" asked one of the staff.

Instantly, Nozomi and Eli quickly approach her as the two ghost follow up.

Maki covered her ears and she also covered her eyes…

"Make it….stop…." she mumbled.

"Miss Nishikino…? Miss Nishikino? Are you with us…!?" the staff asked again.

"Please, everyone, leave her alone…" Nozomi requested to the staffs, which was then fulfilled as they see that Nozomi appear to be taking care of her.

Eli and the two ghosts seemed to be very cautious, three of them could feel a tremendous heat, followed up with a faint sound—which might be so much louder in Maki's ears.

"Nishikino-chan…" Nozomi called her.

"I heard it…. so loud…. please make it stop…" Maki whispered.

Perhaps, her senses might be dull right now—or perhaps it was just from how she might not be focused at the time. She decided to start focusing…

After a few second, Nozomi began to feel something—the very same heat that Eli and the two ghosts could feel…then a faint sound that began to get louder and louder…

 _Hhhrrrrrrhhhh…._

A sound that sounded like a Death Rattle…

Then, every single one of them, including the staff that are supposed to not have the ability….was able to hear it…

"W-What's that?!" one of the staff said in panic as he could feel a shake on his feet.

"Earthquake…?" The other asked.

A loud scream followed by some other screams, came up from the main room. Eli and the two ghost quickly ran to the main room as Nozomi remained next to Maki who is still cowering in her fear.

 _Hhrrrrrrrrrhhhhhhhhhhhhh….._

The death rattle was getting louder and louder while Maki tighten her hands that covered her ears.

The earthquake stops, but…

The sound still remained incredibly loud.

When Eli and the two ghosts reached the main room, they could see that everyone stood in fear as they all looked into the big window—which used to be covered by the big red curtain, was now open and behind it, stood one giant man with a slit on his throat. Making a loud death rattling noise as he glared at each of the guests...

"This is…..so….unfair….."

The man said with his loud and angry voice…

* * *

 **See you next chapter! hopefully this isn't boring! But thanks for reading anyway!**


	9. Ch 9: The Hero and Regret

**This is shorter than previous one, but yeah.**

 **Again, Thanks for reviews/comment/faves/follows!**

 **Thanks to crimson for edits!**

* * *

The night has never been as intense as it is,

With all the guests running in panic and the fact that a lot has attempted to leave but the lock of the front door suddenly wouldn't budge and even the security outside couldn't make an opening for them.

"Help us! Please!" A desperate shout came out from some of the guest…

Eli and the two ghosts tried to reach where the giant man is. It was hard as the crowd are panicking and some people needed to be helped as some fainted from the frightening scene that struck upon them. Nozomi, on the other side, tried to convince Maki to calm down…

"Please…calm down… Nishikino-chan…" Nozomi said.

"I can't…this death rattle…. Is so loud to my ears… it's so painful… I can't…." Maki replied as she began to cry.

 _Sheesh_ _…_ _how can I do this then? I can_ _'_ _t possibly let her stay here_ _…_

 _What if something_ _happen_ _s to her_ _…?_

Nozomi said in her mind.

Ah...I know…

Maybe…I can just ask her to follow me….

But….. what if she prefers to not move?

Nozomi pauses as she looks at Maki who still remained in place, struggling with the loud noise in her ears.

 _Uhh…_ _this is hard_ _…_

 _Well_ _…_ _maybe this is the only way_ _…._

Nozomi—without hesitating, landed a slap on Maki's neck, making her fall unconscious instantly.

 _I_ _'_ _m glad I_ _'_ _ve learned this a long time_ _ago.._

 _Maybe I_ _'_ _m good at kidnapping people after all_ _…_

She said in her mind as she quickly picks up the unconscious girl.

 _I wonder why I_ _'_ _ve never done that to Ericchi when she is being noisy_ _…_

 _Maybe I shouldn_ _'_ _t because she might be really angry later_ _…_

Nozomi continued to talk to herself as she carried the red haired girl out, looking around for Eli who doesn't seem to be around—but thanks to the two ghosts that stuck around her, Nozomi could immediately spot her.

When she was about to catch up, two older people called upon the unconscious girl,

"Maki-chan!"

They ran to approach Nozomi and Maki. From the very sight, Nozomi figured that they must be related to the girl she is carrying.

"Ah—Good timing…" she said as she let Maki get taken back by her parents

"Thank you for carrying her, but…what is that giant thing that peeking at us? It's not even midnight yet…." The older woman said.

"I don't know myself… but I'll go investigate it…!" Nozomi said before she quickly left them.

"Investigate it….?" The older woman flustered as she watched the purplenette run further away from them—lost in the crowd.

"How brave…" the man commented before he looks back to his unconscious daughter.

Something has gone wrong,

That's all Nozomi could think of right now. Putting aside that Eli is probably somewhere closer to where the Death rattle came from… the two ghosts clearly gave Nozomi a big help as she moves.

When she finally reached them, she could see—a giant man behind the window. He didn't make any lights like the two ghosts next to Eli did.

"Ericchi!" Nozomi called.

Eli remained silent as she glanced at her.

Nozomi approached her—and became face-to-face with the man who still remained on the other side of the window, he is holding a knife—a big bloody knife on his right hand. He began banging on the window of the restaurant and shouted,

"It's not fair! It's not fair!"

"What is this thing that is not 'fair' huh?" Nozomi asked furiously to the angry spirit of vengeance.

"Everyone…Everything…is so unfair…" the angry spirit said.

"From what I see here, you're the one who's being unfair, using that scary face and big body to intimidate us… can't you just show your true self…?" Nozomi said—in the most annoying tone she ever made.

The two ghosts quickly turned at her,

"Toujou-san! That's not—…."

And before the two could finish,

A loud roar was heard all over the room, causing the windows to break and everything else which caused the other guests to panic again.

"...that's not what you say to an angry spirit!" Both Reiko and the Snow Girl hopelessly said at the same time.

"Why? Just let him out and see his true form—I shall banish him!" Nozomi said proudly as she took out all the seals paper from her pocket...

"Toujou-saaann!" the two ghost tried to reason again,

"I've practiced much—so this won't be…."

And before Nozomi was able to finish, the angry spirit slams his body inside. It was quick and no one was even able to see it clearly as to how he did it. Though, if their eyes didn't deceive them, he was flying like someone who was hung by the neck.

It's too real to be fake, yet too impossible to be true. He is flying like he was hung but there was no rope that hung him. His body was disheveled and everything about him—including his aura, was dark. He has black fire surrounding him as he started to float around the area, causing the rest to, once again, scream in panic and some had enough before they started to faint one by one.

The lamp which was hung on the ceilings started to fall as he crashes it, causing the room to drastically turn dim. Nozomi, on the other hand, still tried to provoke him…

"Oh! Come on, you are flying around like an idiot... Didn't you realize you just opened the window as well? Now people can leave from there…" she said.

Right after she said that, some people started to run out from the broken window—carrying their families and friends that have lost consciousness before it was mentioned.

The Angry spirit roared once again but before he could catch up with them, Nozomi quickly casted her power—a power that she learned during her adventure with spirits. She was able to tie a spiritual seal on his feet.

Without fear, she dragged him all the way back while he attempted to capture some people who escaped through the broken windows. While she was so sure that she managed to do something to teach him a lesson, she didn't expect him to suddenly blast off his anger—causing the seal that she tied on his feet, to break, and swiftly fly up to the air.

The time he was about to storm his power down at the broken window, along with all the families—a familiar family was to bring their red haired daughter out of the cursed place, Reiko swiftly dashes with an unknown power—making herself touchable and visible as she crashes into the family, pushing them away and saving them from being crushed by the giant spirit of vengeance.

Realizing that the problem is now bigger than it looks, Nozomi started to question.

"Yuki-san, you told me that a spirit like them won't be able to do such thing before the right time…but how come he….?"

"I don't know! It's not supposed to go that way! Maybe he got his physical power from his anger?"

"Ridiculous, I've seen a lot of angry spirits before….it's nothing like him…."

"You're right…" The Snow Girl said.

"Putting that aside, Toujou-san!" Reiko shouted as she stood with half of her body—forgetting that the family she just saved and every other guest that was left could see her clearly. They were in shock, sure, but they know who saved the family from the giant.

"Get him before he is trying to strike us!" Reiko shouted again.

"Got it!" Nozomi quickly chanted a prayer again as she created more spiritual paper to catch him.

When the giant swiftly attempted to harm the helpless guest—with Reiko in front of them, spreading her hand open as if she is trying to protect them, Nozomi casted her spell again and now with stronger power…

Pulling him away from them, she raises up her hand—with an extra powerful seal paper on her hand along with a mantra that she quickly chanted, and lastly placing it on his body.

Knowing that one won't be enough, she quickly took out a lot of minor seals that she has prepared before. With her swift hands, she placed them all on his body.

The time he fell silent in the ground, Nozomi took a deep breath…

Though when she thought nothing else happen— he once again broke free…

This time though…

He is furious at her….

At the same time,

The red haired girl has finally gained her consciousness. She could feel a little nauseous, and a little ache on her neck. While she still could hear the death rattle—the loud and painful one, she also started to get her vision back…though it wasn't what she expected it to be.

With a halved woman right in front of her—and a giant that is currently attacking the familiar figure who fought bravely, and lastly the blonde woman who stood right in front of the broken window, doing nothing…but… there's something that might be going on with her even though she couldn't see or feel it, she could somehow hear a mantra being whispered somewhere close to her.

She also could hear a familiar voice—a voice that she heard before in the very same place…

"Help! Please help our family!"

The voice is echoing like it wasn't coming from a real person.

"He is angry now! He is angry! Please stop him! But don't kill him!" said the other familiar voice.

"Please help! Please!" the voice said again.

Maki doesn't know what to do, she couldn't even see them.

"If anyone hear us…please…." The voice said again,

"….our father…. He might be a strict man… but he is loving… he always protects us…"

"…ever since mother left us…the man who owns this restaurant often came to visit us. He was so kind and gentle—but our father doesn't like him!"

"…he said, we shouldn't trust him—and the other time the man who owns this restaurant came to visit us again, he tried to kill him!"

"But we tried to protect him and our father accidentally killed us!"

"We forgave him! But he didn't forgive himself and that man!"

Then the voice repeated again…

"Help! Please help our family!"

With the same voice and intonation, Maki knows that each of them are repeating their pleads. But she wonders about, where exactly the voice came from? If it's truly somewhere around here, why can't Nozomi or Eli see them? They never mentioned them either.

For whatever reason, she knows that maybe—it's not that bad to help out a bit, but maybe it's better for her to stay quiet? For the sake of herself…

She just doesn't want to be called as a weirdo…

Not anymore…

"Please! Help us! Please help our family!"

Then as the red haired girl could hear the mantra spoken to the blonde, stopped—and also at the time when the purplenette seemed to be at her limit for trying to stop the giant from attacking her…

She could see it with her own eyes…

A very-very-very-very gigantic and transparent nine-tailed fox appeared from the blonde…in a few seconds, it opened its huge mouth, created a vortex of wind and swallowed the angry giant without hesitation.

"Nooo! Father! No!" the voice that she heard shouted.

She took notice that Nozomi might have seen something, and then the halved woman who was in front of her went missing—or perhaps she just can't see her anymore.

"Fattheerrr!" the voice started to fade.

* * *

The next morning,

She was left with a big question in her mind, though because the night has passed and even became one of the news highlight today, Nozomi decided to not think about it.

 _Did I do something right?_

She asked to herself.

 _I saw two female souls that night_ _…_ _flying towards the big vortex of spiritual wind that she made_ _…._

She continued again.

 _But how come she could break away from her lock? She wasn_ _'_ _t that strong!_

 _I swear_ _…_ _. When I put her seal back last night_ _…_ _she was obeying me and_ _…it_ _'_ _s like...there was nothing improving from her_ _…_

 _Perhaps, she has become tame to me?_

 _But what made her suddenly be able to break out from her lock?_

 _Is it because I was in danger?_

 _Or is it simply because she found that angry soul to be a danger for everyone?_

 _Neither Snow Girl and Reiko knows about it either_ _…_

Nozomi kept thinking to herself as she walks to the classroom. She was greeted by a crowd that—probably, is currently surrounding a specific girl that she knows…

"Ayase-san… I heard you were the hero last night in the incident, what did you do?"

"It can't be true about you summoned a giant fox and ate the vengeful spirit, right? That was just a media, right?"

"Everyone! Shut up! I know Ayase-san is cool, but please just leave her alone…"

"Ah—you just want to have her for yourself…" said another.

"No way!"

The girls started to be very noisy around her...

Nozomi sighs heavily, before breaking through the crowd to sit on her seat. Knowing that the blonde is currently being too overwhelmed by the crowd, she decided to speak up for her,

"Everyone… party is over…leave her alone before you get a nice package of breast rub that you will never forget…" Nozomi said.

"aahh—the vice president is speaking…" A girl whined

"No fun…" the other said

Then they started to leave one by one…except for….

One person— a ginger haired girl, looking at both Eli and Nozomi with her cheerful and enthusiastic face….

"Who are you….?" Nozomi asked.

"Kousaka Honoka!" she replied energetically.

Eli remains silence—looking at the girl with her flustered face,

"I saw everything last night! It was amazing! You're a hero for us all!" the ginger haired girl said.

When Nozomi heard the 'hero' spoken, she could feel all of her conflicted feelings starting to dim. Perhaps, it's not a bad thing at all…

They saved a lot of people… in a way that seemed to be the fastest…

The school bell started to ring before a minute passed,

"Ah—I have to go now! I'll see you two again later!" Honoka said before she ran out of the room.

Confused, Eli and Nozomi only could stay speechless as they watch the ginger haired girl run off. They have never seen her, but…. it feels like she is treating them as friends already….

* * *

After school, Otonokizaka Classroom;

Nozomi stood up from her seat—while Eli also did the same.

"Going to shrine…?" Eli asked immediately.

"Uhm…yes…" Nozomi replied as she gave out a hint of doubt in her voice. It's not that she is doubting about going to the shrine… it was about what she has to actually say toward that kind of question. Does Eli want to join her? She doesn't always do so… because she prefers to return home whenever it's not the weekend. Plus, the fact that they just had a student council meeting this morning, about the incoming event, Eli must've been tired and….

"I'll come today…" Eli said, breaking all the thought Nozomi just had in her mind.

"E-eh? That's rare of you to come at this time of day…"

"I have something in my mind… and I really want to talk to Reiko or…Yuki…." Eli said.

"Uhm…ok… but, do you mind to wait for a while? I believe they wanted to finish the job first before talking…"

"I don't mind…" Eli replied shortly.

Her eyes aren't cold to her, but it feels like she might truly have something bothering her.

* * *

The Shrine, Dusk;

After everyone finished with cleaning the shrine, they gathered in the lounge while Yuki served cold tea for everyone. Hanako and Akamanto aren't here since they probably have gone somewhere around the country. Reiko seemed to be happy as she has gotten a part of her legs growing—she said, because she was doing something good last night, she was given with a part of her legs growing back.

"See…? I told you, my legs are beautiful…" Reiko said proudly to Nozomi.

"I've seen that, thank you…" Nozomi said.

"Pssh… you're just jealous…"

"Why would I be jealous…?" Nozomi frowned at her,

"Because you don't have pretty legs…"

"My legs are pretty!" Nozomi said to her.

"Nah—it's not!" Reiko said.

At the very moment, Nozomi drops her skirt and show her legs—and her black underwear.

"See?!"

Then a loud slap was heard across the room.

"Hey…. you two… can we just start talking…? I think you've had enough with the rest…" Eli said after she slaps Nozomi's butt as loud as possible, which caused the purplenette to fall on the floor with a goofy pose, holding into her own butt.

"Oh—right, you came here to talk about something…." The Snow Girl said.

"Let's just blame Reiko for starting the butt topic, Ericchi!" Nozomi said.

"It's not about the butt! It's legs!" Reiko complained.

"Shush, you two… let her start her question!" The Snow Girl said.

After the three finally become quiet, Eli started the conversation…

"Say, have you two seen or heard anything from the time that angry spirits showed up in the window?"

"You mean, at the time when we face him?" The Snow Girl asked to confirm.

"Yes..." Eli replied.

"His Death rattle and him saying things are unfair…" Reiko said.

"Me too, I didn't hear anything other than that…" The Snow Girl replied.

"Me too, Ericchi! Me too!" Nozomi said.

"Strange… has none of you heard any mantra…?"

"Mantra…?" The three asked back.

"Yes…. I heard a mantra… my body froze… I couldn't do anything, including not being able to talk….but then I felt hungry and…I….I think I lost myself from there until the time Nozomi charged at me and put the seal back on me…" Eli said.

Nozomi lifted her eyebrow,

"That's…impossible…. I mean, for us two to not hear that…. we are the spirits and there's no higher level of spiritual than the royal level and the God Tier spiritual level…."

"The royal…level?" Nozomi asked,

"Yes… a princess, a king, and a queen are the ones who can have that level. They can predict the future better than the oracles since usually—it was given by The God Tier spiritual creature…" The Snow Girl explained.

"Wait a minute, my ability is a gift from God too, you see…" Nozomi said.

"We know, but yours is given from the lowest level…so if you were not able to hear anything, then it's either you were not focused enough or not hard enough on sharpening your senses… some people are given with the highest level but with a flaw… just like that red haired girl…" The Snow Girl said.

"Yep, that's why Yuki was bothered about her last night… that red haired girl is gifted with the highest level of hearing, but she decided to dump it while you work hard to reach that level…" Reiko said.

"Uh…well…she has her choice… I just don't think we can force her…" Nozomi said.

"Wait, then what about me? How come I was able to hear it…?" Eli asked.

"About you—…." Before Reiko was able to finish her sentence,

"You just shared the ability with the fox!" the snow girl said.

"Oh….?" Eli replied.

Nozomi felt slightly bothered with the way the Snow girl responded, but perhaps, she can just let that go?

Maybe not…

She will have to ask that soon…

"Hmm…what's with that way of responding? Are you hiding something?" Nozomi asked.

"N—NO! Of course not!" The snow girl said.

"Please, if you have anything to say, speak out…" Eli said.

"Aahaha…no…I don't have anything! I just… remember that I have to do something!" The Snow Girl said before she quickly flies away from them.

Reiko was left with the two,

"So..what about you…? What did you want to say before?" Nozomi asked.

"hmm..not really, it's just exactly what Yuki said…" Reiko replied calmly.

"Really?" Eli asked.

"Yep… don't sweat over it…" Reiko replied again.

They went quiet for a moment,

"I'll go see her now…" Reiko continued before she quickly crawls away from them.

* * *

On the way home,

Nozomi and Eli decided to walk together again, but this time, they are going to Eli's apartment.

"So… I've never seen your sister, Ericchi… is she in the apartment now?" Nozomi asked.

"Probably…" Eli replied.

"Probably…?"

"She has been visiting her friends lately…said, she is the daughter of the Manjuu Shop's owner…somewhere further from the school, close to the dojo…"

"Ahh… Interesting, should we catch her red handed next time?"

"What for? It's not like she will do anything insane like you…"

"I've never done anything insane, Ericchi…"

"You're saying that wearing my underwear on your face is not insane?"

"I'm just mimicking the Hentai-kamen… it's a popular show…"

"Why are you mimicking him anyway…" Eli sighed.

"It's a good show!"

"No it's not! Either way, that's not the only time you did something insane… you also woke up from your deep slumber then suddenly snuggled against my breast… and then you bit it!"

"I thought it was a pair of steamed buns… I was hungry!"

"There's also the time you asked me to come with you to the supermarket… then you suddenly picked up an eggplant and shouted 'Ericchi! Look! This is just the perfect size! We should play with it!'….did you know the entire room suddenly went quiet and focused on us?"

"Ooh—Ericchi! You know what, I dreamed about this last time… you and me arguing and then we suddenly do intimate things…"

"Nozomi, for heavens sake, how many times do I have to tell you that we're not girlfriends?"

"I dreamed about that too Ericchi! You said something like that! Hmm…what next…"

Nozomi rubs her own chin,

"Ohhh! Right! I was angry at you! Because you didn't believe that I actually swing that way!"

"You're like the first and the only one around me that I could think of swinging that way, Nozomi… You're too showing about that already…"

"Hmm...now I wonder why none of my dreams came true…"

"At least you still got the school festival, it actually won the vote…" Eli said.

"That's not enough, Ericchi… usually, my entire dream comes true! Or…the opposite of it will…"

"Then it's probably the opposite for the intimate thing… You're not getting laid tonight…and not tomorrow either…and not the day after tomorrow….and—…..do you want me to continue?"

"Ericchi, you're a spoilsport…"

"Thanks…" Eli replied with a chuckle.

"Seriously though, with all these teasing… are you truly intending to have me on your bed? I might be too dangerous, you see…" Eli asked.

"I don't mind danger…"

"You can't even stand a flirt…silly… you always collapse…."

"Adding more to the challenge…"

"No it's not…" Eli sighed heavily at her.

When they're about to leave the shrine area completely, a familiar red haired girl approaches them…

"Hey…." she greeted.

"Oh...Nishikino-chan" Nozomi greet her back.

"Maki….Nishikino Maki…." She said.

"Thanks for becoming a hero last night…" she continued—she spoke to them without looking in their eyes,

Eli and Nozomi remain silent as they wonder what might have been up here…

"….But I wish you gave me more time…" she continued.

The two was surprised to hear it,

"I don't hate it…. but… I just have a little regret…that's all…" Maki continued again.

"What do you mean…?" Nozomi asked.

"There was something that I've been thinking about… about what someone that came with you talked about—…" she pauses, Nozomi and Eli knows that she might be talking about the snow girl,

"—….or about what I should do, with what I was born with…." She continued again before she lifts her sight to them.

"….I might hate living with it, but….there must be a reason why I was born with it, right? Maybe… I was being called to care… but I didn't do that… because it's too troublesome for me…." she made another pause before she took a deep breath.

"And the time I knew about you—well, I was not that aware of your intentions…but…. the time you asked me, whether I was sure that I don't want this…you know what? I haven't changed my mind… I still don't want it! But….it's not like I don't want to help as well…I could use myself to help those souls… perhaps… in the later time, I'll be lost like them too…. that family is just unfortunate and maybe it could've fallen on my family too last night… if you didn't show up to save us…."

Nozomi was still somewhat confused as to what exactly she is trying to say… Eli seem to understand, but she didn't respond.

"Basically! My family is thankful about what you did! But I'm not! I feel like something else could've happened if you gave me more time to think! I don't hate you…and that's about it, ok?" she said before she turned away and quickly went away to the shrine.

"Hnn…I don't get her…." Nozomi said.

Eli chuckled,

"Me neither…" she smiled,

"But you look like you understand…"

"Maybe… just a little…" Eli said as she continues to walk.

"Tell me…what's the point?" Nozomi asked as she pouts at the blonde.

"The point is, thank you for saving me…but please don't think that I was being too grateful about it since things could've turned better if you gave me a chance to do something as well…"

"That's it?" Nozomi asked again.

"Yep, that's it…"

"She reminds me of someone…"

"Hmm?" Eli tilts her head slightly to her,

"She is sort of sexy too... maybe I should just flirt with her…"

And right after Nozomi said that, Eli's calm face suddenly changed drastically and she grabs Nozomi's ears.

"W-what are you saying!?" Eli protested.

"Eehh!? What's wrong, Ericchi?!"

"You don't flirt with random girls!"

"W-why would you mind?! Ericchi?!"

"As your friend—I'm not going to let you do that!"

"Heeee?! W-Why?!"

"Because you're not allowed!"

"But…Ericchi! I was just joking!"

"It's not funny!"

And the two walks to their destination while arguing.

* * *

The Café, Crime Scene, midnight;

The young female detective endlessly looks through the crime scene. There are just so many things that seems off, according to her investigation. She looks back to her journal, then to the set of pictures that the police took before removing the victims.

"Detective Harada…." The police called.

"Yes?" she turned around,

"This is the report for last nights invasion…" the police handed a stack of documents and a newspaper.

The newspaper talked about last night's incident, about how two school girls has become a pair of heroes who stopped a big man that was described to be similar with one of the victims, from attacking the crowd. She couldn't believe it, of course, as her logic seems she won't be able to grasp it…

But, what if it's actually an answer to the mystery that she is currently working for…?

"Say…." she said to the police…

"Is it possible for one man to attack after his death?"

"No… it's not possible…" the police replied.

"Then what do you think about this…?" She showed the newspaper, pointing at the news.

"Maybe the media is just making it up to cover the dirty play behind it. The restaurant is said to be living from corruption…" the police replied.

"What about these girls…? Aren't they the witness for this case as well?" she asked as she pointed to the picture of Nozomi and Eli.

"Yes…" the police replied again.

"So…you think… they might know something…?"

Before the police was able to respond, he was stunned by a tall and slender man, carrying a small knife in his hand, floating behind the detective as black fire surrounds him.

"G-G-G…" The Police man started to cower,

"What?" The detective turned around, her eyes can't be wider than it is as she met his fiery and vengeful eyes.

"Leave…" The slender creature said with trembling voice.

"Ghooostt!" the police ran away in an instant.

The detective quickly fired a few shots, though he doesn't seem to be harmed by it.

"Leave….!" And the creature raises his knife up to the air before—

* * *

Meanwhile,

On the other side of the city, there is a funeral being held at one of the small houses. A boy just passed away from a sickness that he suffered for several days. His classmates came over to mourn, almost everyone was crying but…

"Kayo-chin…." A girl with short orange hair called.

"E-Eh?" the short brown haired girl replied.

"What are you thinking about-nya…?" the orange haired girl asked.

"Uhm….just…something…. but it doesn't matter… why are you asking?"

"Because, Kayo-chin just stopped crying and then Kayo-chin is like, reminded about something horrible! Then-then….Kayo-chin also looks creepy when doing that-nya!"

"Is that so…? Well…I can talk about this later….but…. not here…Rin-chan…"

"Ok-nya! Let's just do that later-nya!"

As the two short haired girl left the funeral,

They made a stop near a fast-food shop. They decided to sit next to the big window…

"So…what was it…Kayo-chin?" the orange haired girl asked,

"About Takahashi-kun…." She paused as she looks into her phone,

The orange haired girl keeps quiet to listen,

"He sent me a text few days before his death…." The brown haired girl continued,

"What is it about-nya?"

"He just told me…that he wants me to see him…."

"Ohh…. And we did, right-nya?"

"Yes… we did come to visit him in the clinic…but at night… he sent me another text… saying that he still wants me to see him deeper…. But I didn't quite understand it…so I just told him to get well soon…."

"Ok…so what's weird about that-nya?"

"I don't know… but the next morning… he sent me another text again….asking if I will look at him…"

"So we went to visit him again-right-nya?"

"Yep…we did… but then at night, he said…. that his time isn't much…and he complained that I never look at him… I was so confused…"

"I'm confused too-nya!"

"I wonder if there's another meaning of 'looking' in his context…"

"Like… visiting him-nya?"

"Eh… uhm….. maybe…?"

"Or maybe just to accompany him-nya?"

"Uhm..we did that too, right Rin-chan?"

"Yeah we did-nya!"

"Hmmm….." The brown haired girl placed her hand on her chin as she started to think further,

"Or maybe he wanted to hire you as his bodyguard-nya? So that he doesn't fall sick anymore…? But isn't that already too late anyway-nya?"

"I believe so…Rin-chan…"

"He is a weird guy-nya… but it's still sad to see him gone…"

"I know…"

Both of the girls mourned his death. But at the time the brown haired girl lift her sight, about to say something to her friend, she could see someone standing behind the window and currently looking at her…

And when she blinks her eyes…

That someone has gone…

"What's wrong, Kayo-chin?" her friend asked.

"Uhm….it's nothing…." She replied.

"Ohh..ok…hehe… then, I'll go order something to drink, I'm so thirsty-nya!"

"Please order one for me too!" the girl replied.

The moment when she turned her sight back to the seat—she once again felt like someone was nearby and when her eyes sighted the window.

She could see a pale looking boy standing behind the window—with dark fire surrounding him.

Instantly, the girl screamed in fear.

* * *

 **Kya.**

 **lol. see you next chapter.**


	10. Ch10: Chocolate Love

**I call - I call**

 **Chocolate love!**

 **Ok, thanks fore review/comment/faves/follows!**

 **Thanks to crimson for edits!**

* * *

Early morning, Toujou's residence;

"Mmmh….Ericchi….." she mumbled her name.

Her body feels hot and it feels like a warm finger touching against her core.

"Ahh—…..Ericchi…" she called her name once again.

"Nozomi…." a gentle voice called her back.

"Kiss me…Ericchi…" the purplenette demanded as she could feel hands traveling across her breast, playing with her nipples and giving a soft massage and kisses on her body.

"I love you….Nozomi…" the voice whispered close to her ears.

"I love you too…Ericchi…."

A sensual touch brushes against her thigh, reaching up to her core and slipping deep inside her slippery hollow.

"Ahh—…" she moaned in pleasure.

"Nozomi…how do you think our class will go in this festival?"

"It will be great, Ericchi….as great as you…."

"Is that so…?"

"Mmhh…..even though, there will be a few people that will come running to us to beg for help…but we will make it…"

"I see…"

The purplenette arched as she could feel another finger inserted into her hollow...

"Ah—Ericchi…please…lick me too…"

"You want my tongue…?"

"Mmmh…" she nodded.

"Very well then…."

And as the blonde crawls down—she suddenly turns into a big fox with nine tails, opening her mouth and—….

* * *

"Nozzoooomiiiii!" A shout and a smack on the table…

Nozomi quickly woke up from her nice dream to see a blonde haired girl right in front of her table.

She looks around to realize that she is in the student council room.

"Ericchi… morning…"

"It's not morning anymore! It's afternoon! How could you take a nap in the middle of our last meeting for the event?!"

"Ehh….I was having a good time though…"

"Yes, in your dream! But in reality, we have a lot of things to be take care of! First, because this festival is open for public, we better go check on the security and confirm our schedule!

"Uhm…ok…what next?"

"It's not what next! It's get up and get yourself ready! You can't show up with that messy hair and—that drool on your face!"

Nozomi giggled,

"Ok-ok, let me get to that…" she quickly takes out her handkerchief and cleans her own face, taking the small mirror as well as she tidies up her hair.

Eli sighed heavily.

"Were you dreaming about something perverted again?" she asked.

"Eh…No… no way….I don't always do that…" Nozomi replied.

"Lies…" Eli said.

"Did I do my usual sleep talking?" Nozomi asked.

"No…you didn't… gladly… I can't imagine if you did that in our meeting… but really, you need to get a hold of yourself…. I'll be really angry the next time you do this to me…"

"I know-I know…"

When Nozomi continue to do her hair and at the time Eli was about to check on her files again, the student council door opened,

"Excuse me…" said a mature woman voice.

"Ah…Principal…." Eli replied.

"Ayase, you got a guest looking for you… she said, she wanted to talk to you and Toujou about something important…"

"Hmm… this is difficult, Principal, our schedule is packed today…"

"She is from the Law Enforcement…A detective, she said…"

Eli and Nozomi stopped—taking an interest to the occupation of their guest.

"Might that be caused by that old news?" The Principal asked,

"I don't know…" Eli said.

"Let's just meet her, Ericchi…she might be that detective from before…" Nozomi replied.

"But…the festival….?" Eli asked to the vice president.

"She also said, it won't take longer than five minutes…" The principal said.

* * *

The Principal room,

"Thank you for calling them…but...perhaps… will you mind if we talked about this somewhere else?" The detective said as she could see Eli, Nozomi, and the principal come into the room.

"You have business with my students, so I would like to hear it…"

"Is that so…? Then, I hope you don't mind with the absurd topic… it's about…the spiritual beings…." the detective said,

"Afraid not, she has become one of our clients…" Nozomi said.

"Clients? So… are you giving such a service?" The detective asked.

"Yup, with no costs, because we aren't professionals….yet…" Nozomi replied.

Eli sighs heavily,

"Which means it's not a guarantee if we can actually do something about your problems…" she said.

"I'm not worried, you were able to take down the mysterious giant that everyone said to appear in that restaurant, right?"

"There's an essence of accident there…" Eli said.

"Doesn't matter…but… anyway, my request is… I want you to capture the spirit which wounded me like this…" the detective said as she opens her jacket, revealing a set of bandages warped around her arm. As she pulled it down slightly to show a long and deep scar engraved on her skin.

"How did you get that and how does this spirit look like…?" Nozomi asked.

"It was at the café… the very same one with that crime scene… you know what I mean since you two were the witnesses of it… "

"Oh…that café…." Nozomi smirked wryly,

"Yes… the spirit was slender and carrying a small knife… he was also surrounded by a dark fire-like aura….And at the time when he attacked me, he said… 'leave'….and that's about it… I was trying to fight him, but he didn't seem touchable nor shootable. So I ran away…" the detective explained.

"Strange…at the time we take a venture there, before the police came in, we didn't see anyone and not even a soul either…." Eli said.

"I can confirm that as well… but…now it makes me wonder…how come a spirit appears there? Might have he been hiding somewhere before?"

"This just a guess, but…. the identity of the big man is the father for the woman and the girl…and the slender one is the owner of the restaurant. He is just as old as the eldest daughter—and currently, having an affair with her as well… knowing this fact, her father disagreed and according to the acquaintance of the restaurant owner… they were planning to make a deal about it, but they weren't successful in their own escape—which caused the father to be angered…so he—was attempting to kill the restaurant owner…" The detective explained,

"Wait a minute, you said…an affair? So that man has someone he is committed to?" Nozomi asked,

"Yes… when we searched the identity of the woman he is committed with, we found that she own the fast food shop on the other side of the city. Also, it was said that she was pregnant—and aborted because they weren't ready to make a family…"

"Is there anything else you can tell us about them?" Nozomi asked again,

"Yes… About what was strange from the crime scene… according to my investigation, the restaurant owner was dead from a knife chopped into his head and it was an instant death… but then, the man, the café owner, was killed by being hung with the rope…and, the slit on his throat….was made after his death…"

"What about the female victims?" Nozomi asked again.

"They were dead long before the two fought… and not killed in the crime scene…"

"Eh…?"

"They were dragged brutally by their father—and probably were killed on the way to the café…almost all of their front bodies are disfigured…"

"Can you confirm that it was truly what their father did to them?"

"Yes… we found his fingerprints on their clothing. He probably was too carried away by his anger…. The restaurant owner—was probably trying to stop him from doing that…which caused them both to die in the crime scene."

"It's tragic, how a love story could end in such a chaos…" Principal Minami commented.

"You think so…?" The detective replied,

"Mm… but at least, the restaurant owner has proved that he will do anything to protect her…even though, she was just someone he had an affair with…"

"But something is a little off…remember what that big man said before…" Eli said.

"Hm…you mean… something about being unfair…?" Nozomi asked.

"Yes… what was being unfair…? Isn't he the one who's being unfair…?"

"Then the fact that the restaurant owner spirit said, 'leave'…. If that was what happened, aren't they supposed to speak the other way around…?"

"Like, the big man spirit saying, 'leave' and the restaurant owner, 'it's so unfair'….?" Nozomi asked the blonde,

"Pretty much… because the big man is trying to stop his daughter from getting along with that man, so he is supposed to say 'leave them alone' or something like that. Then the restaurant owner, he could've say something like, 'it's so unfair that I wasn't allowed to love the one that I love…', right?"

"You're right, Ericchi…. I think we will have to investigate that further…"

"Yep, we will have to do that…but first, the festival… we're running out of time…" Eli said.

"Oh, right… I'm glad that I was able to tell you everything I needed to say… thanks a lot…" the detective said.

"You two better get going…" the principal said before Nozomi and Eli ran out of the room to catch up with their schedule.

* * *

The Dojo, afternoon;

A blue haired girl is practicing as an ash brunette girl waited for her at the entrance along with a ginger haired girl.

"You see, Kotori-chan, I heard that a blunt force or specific event could trigger the third eye to open… Then I also heard, some were also born with the ability to open other's eyes…" the ginger haired girl said energetically.

"Uhm…Honoka-chan… Why would you want your third eye to open…?"

"Because— remember the two seniors? They were able to fight evil spirit that messes with the living!"

"Isn't it better if we just leave that to them? I mean…this school…had some bad histories with the spirits too and they were able to banish them… we're all able to study in peace because of them….so… I guess, we don't need to do anything with the spirits…"

"That's no fun, Kotori-chan… we might be able to do something bigger if we have the ability too!"

"Hnnngg…Honoka-chan…I don't think we can do anything like that…."

As the ginger haired girl was about to speak— the blue haired girl approached them and smacked her hand on the ginger haired girl,

"Honoka! I told you to stop thinking about that…we're not going to deal with that kind of crazy unrealistic stuff…"

"Eeeh..but…Umi-chan….that two seniors….?"

"They are who they are…we are ourselves…. They are not us and we are not them…."

"Haaaaaaah…Umi-chan is no fun either…."

"Don't think to do anything crazy now, Honoka… we have a test coming up in a few months, you better start memorizing or you will be left as a first year…" Umi replied with her stern voice.

"Ah—Umi-chan, are you done with practice?" Kotori asked.

"Not really, but my mother told me to just go out and play… we will continue tonight…"

"Ahh..I feel bad for bothering you…" Kotori said.

"No you're not…Not at all... I need some break too after all…" Umi replied.

"Hehe…then, should we head to the fast food shop?"

"Fast food…again?" Umi complained.

"But that place is cheap and has a lot of tasty meals!"

Umi sighed heavily,

"Fine, we go there… but I don't want coke…" she said.

"You can have chocolate milk…" Honoka replied again as they started to walk away from the dojo.

After a while, the three reached the big road as they keep chatting about what they will buy in the shop later and when Honoka noticed a little puppy walk to the road, a small car headed toward its direction…

"Aa—!" she ran to reach it as was already in the middle of the road,

"Honoka!" Umi quickly ran to catch up with her, pushing her away and—….

* * *

The clinic, afternoon;

"Emergency! Emergency! Please move aside!" the staff said as he pushed the emergency bed containing the unconscious blue haired girl.

"Umi-chan! Umi-chan!" The ash brunette cried as she follows them while the ginger haired girl was not brave enough to speak out—especially when she was still holding onto the puppy that she just saved.

When they passed through the hall, the red haired girl—Nishikino Maki, sat on the chair next to the room where her parents work. She overheard the cry and feeling somewhat concerned about the young girl who seem to be just a year older than her.

It's not her first time to see such a thing, of course, but… perhaps, she was just curious about what exactly happened to her.

She decided to walk slowly, approaching the three young students as she pretended to not approach them.

When the bed was brought to the room, the two other students—and the small puppy were told to wait outside. Maki could hear the ash brunette crying while the ginger haired was trying to calm her down.

"It's ok, Kotori-chan, Umi-chan is strong…"

"Honoka-chan! How could you….!? Waaaa!"

"W-Wa-wa….S-Stop crying…Kotori-chan! It will be fine!"

"Honoka-chan is so stupid!"

The ash brunette keeps crying.

About an hour passed, when a doctor came out of the room, Kotori and Honoka quickly stood up to face him,

"Doctor! How is she?!" Kotori asked.

The doctor in his sadness, shook his head.

"Waaaaaaaaaa!" Kotori cried louder.

"W-wait! Do you mean?!" Honoka tried to confirm.

"We couldn't hear her heartbeat and we also have done our best to support her… it's no use…but…just in case… we should wait for about 8 hours to make sure…"

"8 hours…?"

"Yes… Hopefully, she will awake before then…"

"Is there any injury…?" Kotori asked.

"We found a few injuries, but it doesn't seem to come from the recent incident… so we thought, what caused her to fall unconscious is just because she was mentally shocked…" he replied.

"I see… then, we should just contact her family…" Honoka said.

"N-No! No! Honoka-chan! Wait!" Kotori said.

"What?" Honoka asked.

"Can we….just wait for that 8 hours?"

"W-Why?"

"I…I feel like I wanted to keep this as a secret from her family! And from everyone else too!"

"E-ehh?! But why?!"

"T-there is just….something, ok? So…please… let's just wait for those 8 hours!" Kotori begged.

"Uh….Ok…?"

"Good! Now… I'm going in!" Kotori quickly ran inside the room.

"W-wait! Kotori-chan!" Honoka quickly followed after her.

The red haired girl could hear the ash brunette starting to call her name over and over while crying. It sounded so silly, but…maybe… that person is precious to her after all…

"Don't be too noisy…ok?" the doctor said before he closed the door.

"Hey…." Maki said to the doctor,

"Well-well, isn't this the Nishikino junior…? What do you need?"

"What happened to her?" Maki replied shortly

"Oh…them? Well… her name is Sonoda Umi, she was hit by a car…even though her body looks fine, her heartbeat is too low to be heard, like a dead body's…or perhaps, it's like her soul has left somewhere… but it's not quite like a coma…"

Maki remained quiet for a moment. Thinking about the statement about her soul having left somewhere….

"A…car, huh?"

"Yep, a small car, a sedan to be exact… the driver ran away though….so they can't ask for him to be responsible…"

"Where did this happen?"

"Just by the big road near the fast-food shop…"

"I see…" Maki nodded,

"Is there anything else you wanted to ask?"

"Mm..no… I'll go ahead…" Maki replied before she stood up and ran out the hospital.

"Take care…"

* * *

The Shrine, Afternoon;

Eli and Nozomi sat on the bench as they worked on their paper after a tour around the city to find their materials. Eli seemed to be very serious about preparing the festival which made Nozomi have no choice but to help her.

All their ghost friends surrounds them, starting from the snow girl to Akamanto…

"So…Nozomi, I'll have to cut the budget from this club since they're not going to present during the festival…."

"Ehh…? Why can't we just cut all the class's budget? They can always add their own… the club cannot do so as they have lesser members…."

"I don't think that's wise to be done. The festival will be for everyone, so focusing on one or two clubs will feel so much like a waste…"

"But if you do that, then you will have to cut every other club as well…"

"We can't, there's the art club which will require a lot of budget. I believe, if we cut it, they will harder a harder time with displaying their work…"

"It will feel like discrimination for that one or two club…so, I still think, it's better to cut the class's budget… not many of the students know about the average budget of each club, right? Plus… each class has about thirty members, so even if we give them lower budget, they will still be able to survive…"

Eli remained quiet.

"Fine then… but I still think that giving a budget to that club is a big waste. They're only going to throw that away to buy worthless crap…."

"Eh, it's their club, once we gave it to them it's their right to decide about what to use it for…"

Eli sighed,

"You know, I really feel like stopping that club from running…"

"The occult club isn't that bad, you see… even though, we both know that they're nothing but a fraud, we both also know that they're having fun…so let them be, Ericchi…"

"Might as well change their name to a play-club…"

"What is…and occult club…?" Hanako asked.

"It's just a club that plays around with their imagination… they pretend that they are all able to see spirits and communicate with them… so far though, we both have never seen them doing things right…"

"As in…there's never an actual spirit being communicated with?" Reiko asked.

"Yes…the last time I check on them they were trying to summon a demon…into one medium… then this medium started to rage and acted dumb…but we both knew that is just an acting…" Eli said.

"Then, the medium started to break stuff around the room…and you know what? After she was being taken care of… the club leader asked for an extra budget to replace the broken stuff, but Ericchi said… 'ok, ask that to the demon…' then she left… I totally heard the club began to chant random mantra—saying that Ericchi might've been possessed by a stingy demon…!" Nozomi continued her story.

The ghosts laughed,

"Really? They seem fun!" Reiko said.

"Totally! But…for real? Stingy demon? Do they even exist?" the snow girl said.

"They do… Name is Yuki-nee-chan!" Hanako said with her innocent smile.

"H-Hanako! I'm not stingy!" the snow girl complained.

"Now that reminds me…" the Akamanto started,

"….just the other day, I saw this group of students going to the bathroom together. They started to call Hanako-chan…but when Hanako-chan was about to answer, there was another girl who hid in the ceiling walls, answered the call…" he continued,

"Yup! Then… there is one girl who said that she wants good grades…and the girl who hid on the ceiling said that Hanako-chan will do it for a cost…"

"Yes-yes…and the girl paid the other girl with money…" Akamanto said.

"Wait…they did that?" Eli asked.

"Yep…Hehe… in the end, I helped that girl who paid … but the group that got the money refuses to give me the money!" Hanako replied.

"I see…so my judgement wasn't wrong… they need to have their club budget cut…." Eli frowned as she quickly made a few notes on her book.

"Uhm…I suppose they can't be saved now…." Nozomi mumbled.

"Yes! That's right! Ayase-nee-san! Give the money to me!"

"That's not right, Hanako-chan, you don't need them, the students will need it!" the Snow girl said,

"Well, I'm generous…so I'll give my money to them…"

"Ah, speaking of which, our class is going to open a haunted food shop, do you all want to join?" Nozomi asked.

"Nozomi…I don't think we—…"

"We can?!" the ghost cuts in before Eli was able to finish. They seemed to be very excited.

"Yep, as long as you all don't harm anyone, then you all can join the fun…"

"What will we do though?" Reiko asked,

"You're just going to decorate the room with yourself…"

"Oo…so..just fly around and make an appearance?"

"Pretty much…" Nozomi replied,

"We can do that!" The Snow Girl said.

"Yeah!" The other ghosts cheered,

Eli placed her palm on her face, she just couldn't believe that her dear friend would allow them to do such a thing…

"Oh-oh! Can I bring my friends?" Hanako asked,

"Sure, but remember, the class isn't that big…" Nozomi said.

"Ok!" Hanako replied cheerfully.

Suddenly, a red haired girl ran into the shrine, looking around for a second and as she caught the sight of Nozomi and Eli…

"Hey! You two!" she ran to them.

"Ah…Maki-chan…" Nozomi said.

The Blonde and the Purplenette watched her trying to take some breath before she started to speak,

"Hey, can you two follow me? This is an emergency…"

"Emergency…?" Nozomi and Eli flustered,

"What is this about?" Nozomi asked.

"Just….! Come with me!" The red haired girl quickly dragged Nozomi away.

"W-wait! Hey! Don't take Nozomi!" Eli quickly catches up with them while holding all of her papers.

The Snow Girl and Reiko taking a notice to the red haired girl,

"What is she in a hurry for…?" Reiko asked.

"I don't know… but by coming to those two…maybe she is trying to accomplish something?" The snow girl smiled faintly.

* * *

The Big road near the Fast-food shop,

Nozomi, Eli, and Maki stopped in the area.

"So…will you tell me why you are pulling Nozomi now?!" Eli said somewhat angrily,

"I told you, this is an emergency!" Maki replied, her hand still holding onto the older girl,

"Don't pull her away like that!" Eli split their hands and step right in front of Nozomi.

The two were intensely glaring at each other,

"Now-now…you two…" Nozomi tried to stop their glare against each other,

"Gh…it doesn't matter anymore…I don't have time to do this stupid glaring competition…" the red haired turns her sight away from the cold azure eyes,

"I want you two to help me look for a soul…"

"A…soul…?" Nozomi tried to ask.

"Describe…" Eli replied coldly.

"She's probably just a year older than me, her name is Sonoda Umi, she has long blue hair and average skin color… she was hit by a car in this place and…her body was taken to my clinic…"

"Wait a minute… you're asking us to look for her soul so that you can bring her back to the clinic…?" Nozomi asked.

"Is she even here?" Eli asked to her,

"Its just a guess, but please, will you try to look?"

"What if her soul is in the clinic…? We will waste so much time working for her… we're not that free, you know…." Eli complained.

"She is here!" Maki responded aggressively.

"Uh…wait…Maki-chan… do you think we can somehow take her back to her body and make her alive again?"

"She is not dead—not yet… her body is still alive! Maybe it's like an empty vessel right now! We only have about 6 hours from now before she is declared as deceased…so, hurry up and help me!"

"Our question is, what makes you so sure that you will find her here?!" Eli asked aggressively to her,

"I can hear her shouting her friends name! That's all! I can't see her, but you two can, right?"

The two remain quiet… Nozomi knows that there's a hint of tears coming out of the red haired girl, perhaps she is scared by Eli's cold eyes? Or perhaps…she is just too embarrassed? Either way, she thought Eli could understand her, but maybe it's not quite the right time to hang out with Eli right now. She might have too much work to think about… knowing that tomorrow is something really important…

"So, do this for me! Ok?!"

Eli frowned at her,

"Listen, we don't have—…"

"Let's do it…Ericchi…" Nozomi cuts in.

"What? Nozomi! We don't have enough time to do this! Remember that we still have to arrange all the budgets? Then also confirm to the music shop, that the piano at school is broken, remember? Then we promised the music club to fix it before the day and yet the music shop hasn't sent any of their worker! We will also need to find a proper jury for their competition as well! Are you nuts to ignore all that responsibility?!"

"I'll help with that! So shut up and help me first!" Maki said loudly.

Eli paused as she heard it.

"Papa owns a music shop… I can get things done earlier for that case…but this one, we only can do this at this hour… so… make this a priority, will you?" Maki continued again.

Nozomi and Eli remain silent to her statement, wondering if she is telling the truth.

"Also, if you need budget or health care… I'll ask papa to be a sponsor…."

They once again remain silent for a moment until Nozomi smiled faintly along with her soft sigh.

"Alright then, that settles it… we will look for her…."

* * *

A few hours passed,

The three kept wandering around the area but finding nothing more than the usual spirits that wanders around the streets aimlessly. Nozomi never actually cared about them because they don't seem to bother the living, though, ever since she started walking with Eli—and seeing her keep getting surrounded by them, she had to constantly exorcise after every ten minutes.

Thanks to that, the road has become quieter and Eli doesn't seem to care about them anymore. Maki, on the other hand, always wondered as to how those souls looked like. She has been watching Nozomi doing a quick ritual to banish the souls that approached Eli.

She wanted to ask, but she is too shy to do so. Maybe just hearing those souls' scream as they were banished is enough?

"Hnnm…I still can't hear her… maybe she is still somewhere far…?" Nozomi asked.

"Honestly, I can't hear her shouting her friend's name again either… maybe she is too tired…?" Maki said.

"Can you at least identify her voice…?" Eli asked.

"Heh, not really, but the last time I heard her calling…she was calling by the names, Kotori and Honoka… her voice is deep and somewhat scared…"

"Kotori…and Honoka…? Hmm…I heard that too before…but I was not aware…" Eli replied.

 _How come Ericchi heard it, and I didn_ _'_ _t? Has she surpassed my spiritual level?_

Nozomi thought.

 _Maybe I was just not focused enough, but I swear I did!_

She thought again,

 _Either way, her power was awakened after me, but she could improve faster than me_ _…_ _this is so scary!_

 _I wonder if she is already able to touch a soul as well_ _…_ _as in, the soul that stayed in their transparent form_ _…_ _? Not at the time when they make themselves appear?_

And a sudden flashback came to her,

There was a time when Eli shoved the Snow Girl away— she swears that time, the snow girl was transparent…

 _No…no-no-no…_ _that can_ _'_ _t be…_

She denied,

 _She was able to do that?! Have I been slacking on my training?!_

She asked herself.

 _Or maybe it was because she has that beast inside her?!_

 _Someone did say that it might_ _'_ _ve shared their ability, right?!_

 _But for real! Is there any way to take that beast out?!_

Her eyes keep looking into Eli who is currently talking to Maki—about the soul they're looking for.

 _I don'_ _t want to admit defeat when she is actually cheating with that beasts power_ _…_

 _S_ he tried to remember about what always happens during their sport hours at school…

Eli is always able to surpass everyone's record along with being able to catch up with others, but lately, she wasn't able to catch up with her…

 _She is just getting better and better each day_ _…_

 _But maybe she is just a fast learner?_

She asked herself again.

Ah—she is just too much a mystery for me… maybe that's why she is so attractive…?

 _Maybe other than because she swings that way and it gives me so much hope to get her on my bed_ _…_

… _she is also_ _…_ _. Physically_ _…_ _so attractive for me_ _…_

 _Those...fit muscles all over her body_ _…_

 _And those long and slim fingers_ _…._

 _That serious and cold face of hers_ _…_

 _The smooth, pale white skin_ _…_

 _Plus…_ _the size of her breasts_ _….._

 _So perfect_ _… I_ _'_ _ll never be bored to admire that_ _…._

She talked to herself…and unconsciously cause her cheeks blushes by the thought, licking her own lips and putting one of her fingers into her mouth as she slows down her movement to watch every move that the blonde made.

Unexpected detail was accidentally seen by the time she kept looking at the blonde, just about a few meters away from the side of the blonde, there's a soul of a girl hiding behind the walls. She has long blue hair and gestured like she was currently crying softly.

"Ericchi! Maki-chan!" Nozomi called them

"What?" the two turned at Nozomi—then to the direction that Nozomi pointed.

"Ah, that! That's the person!" Maki said as she pulls Eli's sleeve.

"Let's hurry up and get her!" she said before she and Eli quickly ran to get her,

"Sonoda Umi!" Maki shouted,

"W-wha…" Umi stood up and as she saw the two trying to catch her…

"No!" Umi swiftly ran away as she cried.

"Wait! Umi! Stop!" Eli shouted.

Knowing that it might not be good if she is being obvious on trying to catch her… Nozomi quickly takes another turn while Eli and Maki tried to catch her directly.

"Umi! Come back!" Maki shouted to her.

The blue haired girl keeps running away from them.

Nozomi swiftly climbs up the building as she saw Umi going through the small gap between buildings. Maki was seen to enter, but Eli has suddenly gone from sight too. Nozomi could've spent a minute to wonder, but she prefers to use it for catching the very soul—or at least, to make her think that she will be caught since she knows that she won't be able to actually catch her.

But for another thing now, how could Maki see the blue haired girl?

Has Umi accidentally shown herself?

Or perhaps, something has happened to Maki?

No, that can't be the case. Nothing happened to her.

Taking the strange incident into her mind, Nozomi tried to look for more details, such as, a few ghost that lingers around the buildings, some that may just look like a creature from another planet…

She wonders if she should ask the detail to Maki… will she say that she could see them?

Putting that aside for now, she keeps thinking of where the blue haired girl is going…

Then at the time they finally reached a corner with nowhere to run…

Umi stopped.

…which also clears up that she might not be aware that she is now only a transparent soul that could pass through walls...

"Umi… listen…." Maki tried to speak, though as she started Umi started to fade from her sight.

Maki pauses, starting to doubt that she is still talking to the very girl. Nozomi was still able to see her and she knows that Maki might've lost her from the sight, but she wanted to know what will happen next.

"…..just…come with me, your friends are waiting for you to return…"

"What do you mean…?"

"You were thrown away from your body…and…maybe, you got lost here… but… either way! Your living body is waiting for you to return as well!" Maki said.

"So…where is it now?"

"In the clinic….Emergency Room number 11…. If you go there, you'll hear your friend calling for your name…"

"I see, then. I'll go back now…" Umi replied as she dashed through Maki while Maki was still not able to figure out where she might be right now.

When Umi reached the entrance of the dead end, Eli suddenly stopped her which caused the red haired girl to turn around.

Umi, knowing that it might be unwise to stop right now, quickly tried to evade her, but when she passed through next to her, Eli suddenly spread out an icy wind, which also caused the blue haired girl to appear again in the red haired girl's sight. The blue haired girl froze on the spot, stopping her from going any further.

 _The revealing power blast?_

Nozomi said in her mind.

 _That_ _'_ _s…_ _. a high tier spiritual power! How could she use that?!_

"Hey! What are you doing?! She has to hurry up and—…" Maki pauses as she could hear someone chanting a mantra. It's slightly different from the one she heard, but the voice is just the same…

Without thinking, Maki quickly ran closer, and then tried to pull Umi—or at least break the ice that froze her feet. But she wasn't able to do it as her hands keep passing through her instead.

Nozomi knows that she needed to jump down now, but… it is really a good time to do so?

She decided to wait for what might happen next… or what might be up in the blonde's mind. She believes that she isn't planning any harm to an innocent soul like Umi.

But her thought was quickly brushed off as she could see the beast starting to come out from Eli's body.

"K-Kyuubi?!" Umi said in fear.

When the beast was finally let out—in a somewhat transparent form and can be seen by Maki, Nozomi gave no more second to act. She jumps down right on top of Eli. It also causes the beast to fall down, allowing Nozomi to swiftly cast her fire power to melt the freezing ice, releasing Umi from it.

"Run!" Nozomi shouted.

Umi and Maki quickly runs away, without any more being said.

She thought she could hold her down, but… Eli got up easily and dashes to catch up with the two— with Nozomi on her back.

"Ericchi! Stop!" Nozomi shouted as she holds onto the blonde that ran like a beast.

They pass through a few buildings, just like how they were before they caught up with the blue haired girl,

"Ericchi!" Nozomi called her again. She could see the blue haired and the red haired girl still running as fast as they could.

It was hard to keep herself on top of her back as Eli ran so quickly and everything from her is too powerful.

Knowing that something has to be done before they reached back to the crowd in the big road, Nozomi grabs Eli's shoulder strongly as her legs crossed against the waist of hers. She pulled her and with her weight, attempted her best to make the blonde fall all the way back—which succeed after a minute.

Nozomi could see the two girls managing to escape from the area. The moment she thought she could seal her back, Eli suddenly struggles to get off from Nozomi's grip, causing the two to have a really hard time with each other.

They rolled on the ground, moving against each other and getting dirty.

Perhaps, if it was taken into another context, Nozomi would be gladly doing so, sadly it didn't work out the way she would like it to. She struggled to put the blonde back to her consciousness, sealing the wild beast back into its slumber inside her.

When their bodies pressed against each other, Eli suddenly paused and started to sniff the purplenette's body….

"E-Ericchi?" she questioned her action,

The blonde remain silent and continued sniffing her. Until her nose stops right on Nozomi's waist….which makes the purplenette more confused than ever…

"W-wait! Ericchi!" She said as Eli started top aggressively grope on Nozomi's waist and keep sniffing with her Russian nose. The blonde finally stops as she grabs something on Nozomi's left coat pocket.

Nozomi is still confused, but she decided to look through her pocket and see what might've taken the beast's interest.

Is it… her card?

She showed the cards to the blonde, though she shook her head with a somewhat playful manner.

Then, the second, she pulled out…

A pen…

And the blonde shook her head again…

So she pulled the last object that even she couldn't remember putting it inside…

A pack of chocolate—which seems to have already melted…

The Blonde nods, she stares at her with sparkling eyes.

Knowing that it might be fine to take her time, Nozomi decided to stand up first. Looking at how sparkling the beast eyes looked.. it makes her believe that it might be it's favorite food…

She opened it carefully, before picking a piece of it with her hands, sticking all the melted chocolate on her fingers. Immediately, Eli takes her liberty to have it.

By then, Nozomi swears, that's the best feeling she ever felt… to have someone actually suck her fingers so gently. Now an idea came up to her mind and when she looked around, there were only a few souls that only looked at them but didn't speak a word.

Either way, she believes that they won't complain and this place is pretty hidden from the other living… or at least, that's what she thought, when she figured out that every building around them right now has no other windows than the small one on the upper side of the walls. Who is tall and not busy enough to peek through it?

So the first plan, she tried to rub the melted chocolate on her neck…

And Eli instantly headed to her neck to start licking it aggressively.

Knowing that her plan was working smoothly, she rubs more chocolate to her cheek—and it goes the same way as her first plan.

 _Ahhh…_ _.this is so good_ _…._

She thought.

 _Hmm…_ _What if_ _….._

She took another piece and rubs it close to her lips.

Immediately, Eli continues her licking closer to Nozomi's lips. Sometimes, her tongue reached the corner of her lips and that's enough to make Nozomi blush red.

Now, this might be something that require a lot of courage, but, it should be worth it if it was a success… Nozomi took more piece and bit half of it it with her mouth—and without delay, Eli made the same move—which also means that…

They are French kissing….as Nozomi also started to let her tongue enjoy the taste of the others.

Is she actually having fun with the person she wanted to have fun with? Or maybe she could be called as… the weird person that likes having fun with a beast?

In her defense, the beast is just a soul that possesses her and Eli is still there with her body.

When the idea hasn't yet run out, she decided to continue her chocolate running business… she unbuttoned her shirt, pulled her bra down and started rubbing her breast with the melted chocolate.

Eli actually went down and starts licking her breast aggressively…

 _Ohh..yes…_ _that_ _'_ _s right, Ericchi_ _…uhm…_ _I want it to be a little further_ _…._

She said in her mind as she took out her breast , then rubs a lot of the chocolate on her nipples….

The blonde keeps licking her nipples, and then started to suck on it as it tasted as good as the melted chocolate…

It's too good to be true and too satisfying for her…

She rubs more chocolate on her nipples…

Her nose started to bleed from the overloaded euphoria.

Least, now she knows its not a dream…

 _Ericchi_ _…_ _. this is so good_ _…_

She thought.

 _Ah…_ _I want more of your kisses_ _…_

She said in her mind before she tear apart the chocolate pack, placing the last of the chocolate into her mouth and open her mouth to let her know that she can have it..

Eli digs into her mouth with her tongue, reaching for the chocolate that was kept inside. Nozomi hugged her tight as she could feel her bare skin on her breast touching Eli's rough coat. Their breast pressed against each other and it was just so warm until Nozomi realized that something down there was forgotten.

Her core tensed and feels like it demands for some more caring.

While her mouth was still being enjoyed by the blonde, she started to reach out into her pocket, looking for more chocolate that she could rub on her core. Though the only thing she could find was a piece of letter…

It says…

 _Happy Valentine…_

And she realized that the chocolate might have been from someone—but she didn't know that it was in her pocket. Lucky that it wasn't last year's gift…

Or at least, that's what she thinks.

She swears she didn't see that chocolate last year….

It doesn't matter anymore though…

All she could think of was to get more chocolate and she need it immediately so that her 'best friend' could go down and start licking where she needed her to.

Unfortunately…knowing that she couldn't find more, she decided to just enjoy what she has. She keeps licking her as she started to embrace her head, demanding her to go deeper and deeper into her mouth.

Until a moment passed and Nozomi needs to take a breath,

She finally lets her friend release her lips from her.

The blonde still remained silent, staring at her quietly and it was without the tongue that sticks out like when a dog was excited,

Her face is just as perfect as her calm self. Maybe that was what makes foxes different than a dog…

She could see the soul of the beast was also sitting down quietly as it watches her…

Feeling an itch in all over her body, she wanted to make more kisses with her…but….

"Toujou-senpai!" someone shouted from a distance…which was probably coming out from the one they were after…

Nozomi quickly fixes her clothes.

"Toujou-senpaaaaiii!" said a chirping-like voice that she has never heard

"Toujou-senpaaaaaaiiiiiii!" said another voice, but was cheerful and energetic voice.

"Hey…where are you?!" said the voice that she knows to be owned by Nishikino Maki.

The purplenette stood up and sets the confused blonde right in front of her.

When four of the new comers approach, Nozomi quickly chanted her sealing ritual….

"Haaaaaatt! Go back to your sleep!" she said heroically. And the Blonde falls unconscious immediately after that….

"It's doneee!" Nozomi said cheerfully as she turns her face to the four girls.

"Hnn…Nng….Toujou-senpai…. Your nose is bleeding…" the ash brunette said.

"A-Are you ok?!" the blue haired girl asked.

"Oooh…Toujou-senpai! You must've had a great battle!" The ginger haired said.

"Wow…. Was it really that hard…?" Maki asked.

"Yes… it was really tough….my juniors…it was a battle that no other could join….and the most heroic one I've ever done…." Nozomi said with full of her charisma.

"Now, shall we go back?" she continued as she carried Eli in her arms.

"S….Sure….?" The Deep blue haired girl nods awkwardly.

* * *

The Shrine, Afternoon;

"Thank you so much for saving me…. Toujou-senpai…. Also…I'll say my gratitude to Ayase-senpai too…even though…she is…a little out of control…." Umi said politely as she bowed to her.

"That's fine…that's fine…"

"You see, when I was knocked away from my body…I was so lost that I couldn't even find Kotori and Honoka… then I saw those souls wandering around the street, some looked just as lost as me, but some looked like a bully, waiting for the right moment to launch their actions… it made me realize…perhaps, if I could have an ability like you two, I could fight the evil one so that the lost ones will be able to freely find their way…" Umi explained,

"….I've helped some souls, but… I was so scared myself… that's why… I was there crying on my own…"

"Why were you running away from us before?" Maki asked.

"Actually, when I was there, I saw a very tall woman with a black dress following Ayase-senpai and you, she was carrying a bead and…. I thought, she might be trying to do something bad to me….and you two were just illusions…"

"A very tall woman in a black dress?" Nozomi tilts her head slightly.

"Yes…then…I can saw her lips chanting something, but I couldn't hear what she was saying…"

"Could she be the one who chanted that mantra on her…?" Maki asked.

"I've never seen her nor heard her…" Nozomi said.

"Strange…" Maki replied.

"You can?"

"Yes….I can hear someone chanting a mantra…but it was faint and I couldn't even see any soul until someone reveals them for me…"

Nozomi remain quiet for a moment…

"Ah…a mantra that could control a beast…" The Snow girl suddenly came up to them.

Maki could hear her, but the trio seems to not be able to do so…

Nozomi turn her sight to the Snow Girl.

"Yes… I've heard that there's a mantra that could control the soul beast… it's not specifically for an individual beast though…. if it was spoken, then all beast that could hear it will be controlled…but they can't take the overall control go the beast, they can just control their moods or desires…such as…. Making them hungry…or making them happy…or sleepy…" The snow girl explained.

"Ah…I see..so that's why… it sounded like a whisper…." Maki replied.

"A whisper? Hmm…. This is dangerous…" The Snow Girl said.

"Say, can you see any tall woman with black dress right now?" Nozomi asked.

"Hmm…No…not at all…" the Snow Girl replied.

"I see…"

"How did she actually look like?" The Snow Girl asked to Umi, but she doesn't seem to be able to hear it, instead, she has been looking at Maki and Nozomi, who seemed to be able to talk to an invisible being…

"Uh...Umi-chan…. how does she actually look like…?" Nozomi asked.

"Oh… It wasn't that clear… I could only notice the black dress…and the height…but I remember she has a somewhat pale skin and a very long black hair…." Umi replied.

"Ah…. Hmm…it's still to vague…there are a lot of chances for it being anyone…" the Snow Girl replied.

"But…if…we somehow manage to find the identity…we might be able to link it with the previous incident…." The snow girl continued again.

"Previous incident, huh? Actually…we got to investigate one more case… in that café…." Nozomi replied.

"Oh…?" The Snow girl lifted her eyebrows

"Oooohhhh!" The ginger haired girl seemed to be excited.

"Can we join?!" she asked energetically.

"W-wait! H-Honoka!" Umi protested.

"It's ok, Umi-chan! We have Toujou-senpai!" Kotori said.

"W-wait, Kotori?!"

"Hehe….I just think…it might be interesting…so… I want to come!"

"Oohhh! Candidate for new friends!" The Snow Girl said excitedly.

"Heh….can they be of any use….?" Maki said.

"Well…can you be of any use…?" Nozomi asked teasingly.

"O…Of course I can!"

* * *

 **See you next chapter...!**


	11. Ch11: The Last Door For Souls

**Please forgive for the long delay on editing.**

 **She had some exams to work so yeah...**

 **thanks for reviews/comment/faves/follows.**

* * *

The midnight, Café of the murder site;

Eli and Nozomi decided to bring the trio and Maki to join their investigation, they stood right in front of the café's entrance and brought everything they needed to survive in the dark such as flash-light, batteries and….

"Honoka… you're…carrying snacks?" Umi asked with a frown on her face.

"Ehh…but I might get hungry at times…" Honoka replied.

"Uhmmm….is it ok to make the floor dirty though? I mean, you might drop some crumbs…" Kotori said.

"Exactly!" Umi said clearly,

"W-wawah… uh….but…. I'll be in big danger if I didn't bring some snacks…"

"Honoka!" Umi placed her hands on her hips.

Nozomi giggled at them,

"Now-now, that's fine…the detective has photographed everything important so that we can do whatever we need to do here. Plus… she also said that she wanted to test our ability in solving this kind of cases, the lesser mess we make, the better…"

"Doesn't that also mean that Honoka really shouldn't bring her snacks?!" Umi emphasized on her 'should not' as her eyes darken towards Honoka.

"It just means that she can bring her snacks, but she will have to be responsible for herself as well or I'll make her do so…" Eli said.

"Ok!" Honoka replied cheerfully.

"H-Honoka?! Since when are you able to take responsibility… !? I doubt you were ever able to do that! You always put those on us…" Umi protested.

"Now-now, Umi-chan… let's just skip that and let her bring in the snacks, maybe it could be of help? Besides, aren't those chocolate cookies?" Nozomi asked,

"Yep! Chocolate cookies all the way! I should've brought the strawberry one though…" Honoka replied.

"Chocolate is fine, hmm… I wish I have those too now…" Nozomi replied as she licked her own lips.

"I can share! Hehe…" Honoka said.

"It's fine, Honoka-chan… I actually prefer the one that could melt inside my mouth…." Nozomi replied again.

"Oh! Well, I have those! But I accidentally bought the dark one so… it's going to be bitter…"

"Just how many snacks did you bring…." Umi sighed heavily.

"Uhm…about 8 types?"

"8 types?!" Kotori, Umi, and Nozomi said in surprise.

"Yep! I have…uh… Chocolate cookies, Dark Chocolate bar, Strawberry steamed bun, strawberry sandwich, Strawberry coated mini sticks snacks, Manjuus from my shop, Odango from my shop too then a few Chocolate coated biscuits…"

"W…wow…. You're that well prepared…" Nozomi appreciated.

"Of course, hehe!" Honoka replied proudly.

"Speaking of which, Maki, you've been quiet… are you not feeling well?" Nozomi asked.

"H-Huh? Well…I'm fine… it just that…uhm… I feel a little strange going out at night…" Maki replied.

"Don't worry, your parents were convinced enough that you're staying at your friend's house…plus, there won't be any danger if you all follow my orders…" Eli replied,

"Yep, we both have considered everything so… each of you will take the safe job…" Nozomi added.

"Like what?" Kotori asked.

"According to the information, given by the detective, she managed to escape from the very creature that appeared by leaving the building, so that means, outside the building is going to be the safe zone. Then… it was also said that he appears in bright places and someone without ability like her could see him..." Eli explained,

"That's why, you four will have to stay outside, and do as we tell you… First, Maki-chan… we will hand you a walkie-talkie…" Nozomi added as she handed a walkie-talkie to Maki.

"It will function like a phone, but, since you're better at hearing, you will have to keep your ears sharp and tell us if you hear anything strange…." Eli added again.

"…got it…." Maki replied.

"Second, Kotori-chan, I hope you know how to operate a computer."

"Of course I do!" Kotori replied.

"Then, I would like you to keep your eyes on the screen, we will stream everything inside through the small camera that we will attach on our neck…" Nozomi explained as she gestured to the small laptop that she has prepared.

"Then for Umi-chan, I hope you don't mind doing a little exercise… we want you to keep an eye on windows—as we will turn on all the lights inside the building…" she continued as she points to the windows of the building.

"Got it!" Umi said clearly.

"As for you, Honoka-chan… we want you to give support to your friends…since you are ready with all those snacks…" Nozomi said.

"Ok!" Honoka replied cheerfully.

"For now though, I want a little of your support…" Nozomi said.

"Like what?" Honoka asked.

"Can I have… the chocolate bar please…?" the purplenette asked somewhat shyly.

Eli frowned slightly as she noticed the gesture that she made.

"Why are you suddenly acting like you have shame…?" the blonde asked coldly.

"Oh—Ericchi…come on, it's like… you know…it's sort of…embarrassing to ask for that from someone…especially…when there's another intention behind it…"

"You're not getting it… you could've just bought it by yourself before we came here…" Eli responded fiercely before she dragged Nozomi inside the building.

"B-B-but! Ericchiiii!"

As the two went in, the others watch them in confusion. It was all quiet until Umi decided to make a comment,

"Is it just my feeling or… Ayase-senpai is somewhat a little possessive?"

"Hmmm…now that I think about it… maybe she is possessive…!" Kotori replied.

"What is possessive?" Honoka asked.

"Do you seriously not know what possessive is?! How old are you?!" Maki replied.

* * *

Inside the building,

The Police have left the very place ever since the latest incident. Even though there was one that was told to stay guard until Nozomi and Eli arrives, no one came in and instead, they left a note near a key that they hung on the key holder.

It says:

 _Dear Toujou-san and Ayase-san,_

 _Take care of yourself and good luck._

 _P.S : we left the refrigerator on, got some nice coffee inside too!_

"They're kind…" Nozomi commented as she took out her rubber gloves that were given by the police before they headed here.

Eli sighed while she started to wear her rubber gloves.

"Or they're just trying to apologize for being a coward…"

"I remember someone told me that you're scared of the dark as well…"

"And yet I'm facing it… so take that into consideration…" Eli replied as she turns on the light. The first room is the dining room, where counters and seats are placed. It has been a lot dirtier than the first time they entered the very place. The menus are gone and the cashier machine has been emptied. Then there's a big white cross painted all over the wall to mark that the owner of the place has passed away.

"It's good that our mission now is to look for a spirit that appears between the lights… what if it was the other way around?" Nozomi asked teasingly.

"We have our flash-lights. These aren't being carried for nothing…" Eli replied again as the two enter the second room, which is the kitchen…

At first, things were too dark and they barely see anything but shadows. When Nozomi turns on her flash-light and directs it inside, she could see a swift shadow pass by—but it was small, like a rat's shadow. Then when Eli did the same as Nozomi, she just saw dirty tables plus an insect pass by.

Perhaps, for those who aren't that familiar with exploring dark places, will take a lot of courage to step their foot inside the kitchen. Not to mention the history that occurred inside it too. Perhaps, they will fear seeing an appearance of people who has passed away.

They could hear the refrigerator make noises, indicating that it's on. So the duo steps in further into the kitchen and switches on the light. Currently there is nothing but furniture around them, along with a few marks left by the police. This also happened to be the place that was said to be where the detective was attacked by the spirit of vengeance. The two headed to the refrigerator and opened it carefully to find two cans of coffee placed inside it and another note left by the police.

 _Dear Toujou-san and Ayase-san,_

 _This place might be creepy for you two, eh? But_ _… anyhow…_ _those marks are left intentionally by request of the detective, so that you two could do some investigation and tell us the results_ _afterwards. A big honor will await you in the station if you do_ _a g_ _ood job on this!_

 _P.S: Don_ _'_ _t forget to always wear your gloves!_

"Does anyone ever see high-school students get these kind of complex jobs by a bunch of policemen?"

"Well, does anyone ever think of meeting a genius like us, Ericchi?"

"Us…? You mean… me?" Eli replied with a smug face.

"Well, alright, you're indeed a genius, Ericchi… but you should acknowledge mine too… even though I don't have as many trophies as you, I still achieved a level of knowledge that not many people have…"

"Such as… molesting people? I think you're a lot smarter than me for that…"

"I'm not that perverted, Ericchi. Not that I ever did anything as bad as licking someone's nipples…"

"Uh-huh, sure… I believe you with all of my heart…." Eli replied sarcastically.

"Seriously though, Ericchi… just believe me that I'm a genius…"

"Mmhm…. Alright…" Eli replied again as they continue to walk around the area to investigate. They opened each of the drawers, reckoning that the police haven't yet moved the canned food ingredients from the inside.

"Come to think of it, Nozomi… why do you think the refrigerator was left empty while these canned food ingredients are left here…?"

"Maybe, they just don't serve frozen stuff? I heard a good restaurant will always use fresh ingredients instead of frozen ones… which also makes canned food the best choice to get around the statement…I mean… at least it's not frozen!"

"If that was the case, then, why do you think they own the refrigerators for…?"

"To keep things…? Like…drinks? Or maybe they were out of stock of the things that were supposed to be kept there?"

"Possible… let's try checking the freezer…" Eli said as she opened it at her will. They could see a few plastic of ice and a few blocks of ices kept inside.

"The ices... for drinks…" Nozomi said.

Eli nodded before she started to check on what may be behind the ices plastics.

"Frozen Yoghurts…" she said as she picks one.

"Hmm…French Vanilla…it looks tasty…" Nozomi said.

"I think we can make a parfait out of this…" the blonde said jokingly,

"I prefer some nice melted chocolate though…" Nozomi replied with a smile on her face,

"Melted chocolate? Do you just love licking that off of the silver paper?"

"I'd prefer that on my skin…" the purplenette said again.

Eli sighed,

"When you're the one who says it, I just automatically assume you're doing something perverted…"

"I was talking about fingers!"

"Still doesn't make it any better…" Eli replied as the two headed to the door that led into the family room.

Eli turned on the light immediately as she found the switch placed right next to the entrance.

The family room is huge, it has plenty of decorations which described that the family must've been very passionate about the culinary field. They kept a lot of food magazines, a few trophies from winning culinary related competitions, and pictures of them in many countries and places.

"Wow…looks like this family isn't that simple after all…" Nozomi said.

"They've traveled through countries, huh? Impressive…" Eli said.

"I've traveled through countries as well, Ericchi… my father is a photographer…"

"No one's asking you, Nozomi…" Eli replied,

"Now-now, aren't you being a little cruel?"

"Putting that old news aside, do you think a person who travels a lot will have time to open a business in a place like this? I heard from the police about how this family didn't hire any staff to take care of this very place… it was all done by their own hands."

"Hmm...maybe they traveled in the past then decided to stay here after they got tired?" Nozomi replied.

Suddenly, their walkie-talkie pinged,

"What's up, Maki-chan?" Nozomi replied.

"Just to confirm something according to Ayase-senpai's question…."

"What about it?" Eli asked.

"You were asking if they had any time to open up a business, right? You should check the family pictures…see how many family members are in it…"

The two headed to the pictures to take a closer look.

"Four….in all of the pictures" Nozomi said.

"It is indeed, four…. A Father, two daughters, and a mother…" Eli replied.

"So I might be right… perhaps they stopped traveling ever since the mother left…"

"Why did she leave anyway?" Nozomi asked.

"I don't know...but I just heard that from somewhere…" Maki replied.

"Ah…look here, Nozomi…" Eli said as she immediately found something placed close to all the family pictures,

It's a picture of the mother, colored in gray and a ribbon along with a few remains of incense along with the white rice placed neatly inside a gold bowl.

"She died…." Nozomi said.

Eli also turns her sight to the rotten fruits that was placed on a plate next to the pictures,

"Ew…no wonder something smelled bad…" she said.

"I'm glad the police didn't move that…else, the spirit could be angry…" Nozomi said.

"Really?" Eli asked,

"Nah— mostly, those who're deceased and honored in such a manner will go to the light earlier. It's still nice to honor them even if their spirits couldn't see themselves being treated that way…"

"Question…" Maki said.

"Hmm…?" Nozomi responded,

"Will they be called if we dishonor them?"

"Nah…. But, if you somehow are haunted by them, then it's probably just a manifestation of your unconscious guilt… psychologically, humans tend to make such imaginations…you know…that's why you may have to learn the difference between someone who was just overwhelmed by imagination and someone who actually has given abilities…"

"A manifestation, huh?"

"Yup, you can have a lot of people admit themselves to be able to see what was supposed to be unseen, but not all of them can actually see, as some may just be overwhelmed by some specific unconscious emotions…such as extreme fear, hunger, thirst, or guilt…"

"So it's like Fata Morgana?" Maki asked.

"Pretty much, yeah… but not that similar…" Nozomi replied.

"What is… Fata Morgana?" Honoka asked through Maki's walkie-talkie.

"A Mirage, are you familiar with that?" Eli replied

"No…?" Honoka replied.

"An optical phenomenon that you could see in a few places in specific conditions… they happened because rays of lights are bent when they pass through air layers of different temperatures in a steep thermal inversion where an atmospheric duct has formed…" Eli explained,

"I still don't get it…" Honoka replied.

"Basically, Honoka-chan, it's just an optical phenomenon…"

"A simple example of it, people who travel through the hot desert long enough will often see a big pond of water awaiting them in the distance, because they're psychologically thirsty, they tend to see it as an Oasis…but by the time they approach it, the so-called Oasis is gone like it never existed…" Nozomi explained.

"Oohhh…ok! So…. If we relate that to the previous conversation… you are saying that sometimes you could see someone haunting you when you have an extreme emotion towards them?"

"Yep, or… you're just naturally scared of random people…or ghosts…"

"Ahh…I see…that's why I've been feeling like Yukiho is watching my back…" Honoka said.

"What did you do to your sister, Honoka?" Umi asked.

"Ehh..uhm…well…I just took some of her cash from inside her drawer…I was about to return it but I keep forgetting to save up my money for it…" Honoka replied sheepishly.

"That's bad, you have to return it soon…!" Umi scolded.

"I know! I know!" Honoka said.

"By the way, I hear a radio being played inside…" Maki said through the walkie-talkie…

"Are you seriously able to hear that? Because, we can't!" Nozomi said.

"Uh… maybe it's not in your room right now… I hear it closer to the outside of the building…" Maki replied.

"Could that be on the second floor? We couldn't see or hear any radio in the first room…" Eli said.

"Maybe… try to check it out later…" Maki said.

"Strange isn't it, to have a radio being played in a place that's supposed to be abandoned…" Umi said.

"I heard, a ghosts presence could trigger such events…" Nozomi said,

"Eh…? Now that you mention it…maybe he is in the second floor after all…" Maki said.

"Did you hear anything else?" Eli asked.

"Not really, honestly…I just heard a radio… I could barely make out what its saying as well… it just started to playing about a few minutes ago… right around the time I said I heard it…"

"Hmm…." Nozomi and Eli started to think.

"We will check upstairs then…" Nozomi said as she turns her sight to the stairs that led to the upper floor—then noticed a pair of shoes on the stairs along with black trousers, walking upstairs in a very-normal manner. Since Eli is still right next to her, it can't be her walking upstairs before her. There's also the fact that no policemen who came by tonight. If so, they could've just approached them instead.

Despite the sight she just saw, she has no intention to let that stop her from investigating upstairs. Eli nodded to Nozomi to confirm that she agreed to go. The two walks up together with their flashlights on, finding no one awaiting them in the darkness until they found the switch to the lights.

Once again, they only meet with furniture, rats, insects and nothing else.

"I smell something…." Eli said.

"Hmm…? What smells, Ericchi?" Nozomi asked.

"I don't want to believe myself for describing this smell but…. it smells like blood…"

"Don't tell me…" Nozomi frowned,

"Aahhh! Please don't let it be what I think it might be!" Kotori screamed from Maki's walkie-talkie.

"We will turn off the camera…" Eli said.

"No-no, don't! Let me see it!" Kotori said.

"Uhm…are you sure, Kotori-chan?" Nozomi asked.

"I'm very sure!" she replied.

"Alright…." Nozomi replied as she and Eli keeps moving toward the first door they found.

As they enter the very place, the duo turns on the light and starts scanning through every corner, they once again were met with nothing more than bedroom furniture.

"The smell isn't coming from here, but…this room seems to not be that important to the investigation…" Eli stated.

"Are you sure? This seems to be important… it looks like one of the daughters room…"

"And what's so important about that?" Eli asked.

"Remember that one of the daughters had an affair with the restaurant owner? Maybe we can find something that became a motive for the murder…" Nozomi replied.

"Try to look for something that made the father angry…" Maki said.

"Eh…?" Nozomi and Eli tried to confirm about what they just heard.

"The murder should have started from the father's rage…so perhaps, if you could find anything that made him angry…" Maki continued.

Eli and Nozomi nodded before they started to look around the very room. In all their opinion, the room was extremely neat and was very easy to find things around as they are all placed in right order. There are also a few culinary magazines stacked on the cupboard, and a few envelopes hidden under it.

Nozomi tried to pick one up before she accidentally dropped a stamp which caused Eli to look down and notice something was hidden under the cupboard…or have fallen under it….

She bent down to pick it up, finding out that…what fell under it was a test pack with positive results. Eli quickly dropped it again in disgust.

"W-what is that? Ayase-senpai?" Kotori asked.

"A disgusting test-pack, why the hell did she keep that here…" Eli replied.

"Maybe she had no intention of doing so…?" Nozomi commented as she places down the envelope that appeared to be empty.

"Do you think that's what made the father angry though?" Maki asked.

"Maybe he found that out…or… she was unfortunate enough to be found with that…" Nozomi said.

"To be found with that, huh? Then maybe, if she was found with that, she was dragged down by him as well and killed during that event?" Eli asked,

"What we need to know is where exactly she died… but…I doubt we can find that out since… she probably is no longer here…" Nozomi said as she averted her eyes from Eli.

"Is there any way for them to die somewhere closer to the restaurant next to this building?" Maki asked.

"Come to think of it, the Snow Girl also said that the aura was behind this building…" Nozomi said.

"Let's look from here…" Eli said before she headed to the only window in the room, looking out to find Umi currently looking at them from the yard, placed to the west of the building. She remains silent despite her eyes meeting with the blonde's.

Then the two just let things go like nothing happened before…

"Nothing there…" Eli said.

"Not even anything out there? Like…a wandering soul perhaps?" Nozomi asked,

Eli checked it out once more—but there really is nothing that relates to the spirits at the moment, not even on the road.

"No…there's really nothing…" Eli confirmed.

"Weird… that means that a bigger spirit is really here and scaring off common wanderers…"

"We still have two rooms to investigate…" Eli said,

"True… maybe we will find something in the next room…?" Nozomi said before she and Eli decided to leave the room with lights and heads to the next room.

They once again find the switch immediately as they enter the room, but again—there's nothing but furniture there… except…

"This isn't where the source of the smell is, but it's much stronger here…and I think i can finally hear the radio…" Eli said.

"Then maybe the radio is in the next room?" Nozomi replied,

"Maybe… and maybe something big is actually there… do you think we should prepare ourselves from here?" Eli asked.

"Do you think this room is like the save point, huh?" Nozomi replied with her teasing smile.

"You think it's a game?"

"Just to make things fun, but I'm pretty sure there is no reset button if we fail…" she chuckled,

"I'm glad you remember that fact…" Eli said before she heads back to the door of the room, then leaves to the next room.

Nozomi followed her, expecting to find something inside the last room, knowing that it might be where the scent of blood came from, she waited for Eli to open the door—then look for the switch next to the door as always which was found immediately.

As the light switched on, they could hear Kotori scream in panic, though they have no idea what made her do so since… they once again met with nothing but furniture and the radio that was kept on.

"Nothing…? That was disappointing…" Nozomi said as she and Eli walk deeper into the room.

As she said that, a red liquid dropped on her nose. She and Eli quickly lift their sight to find a policeman, with a big slit on his throat and taped strongly against the ceiling. His eyes were gone and his wrists were also slit…

"Oh dear…." Eli said calmly as her eyes focuses on the freshness of the flesh—then to the blood that dripped from his stained cloth.

"Someone just put him up there…a while ago…." She continued.

They could hear Honoka coughed as if she just choked on her snacks.

"Gross…" Maki commented.

"I can't see anything…!" Kotori said.

"Of course, you're closing your eyes!" Maki said.

"Nozomi! Eli! I saw something dark moving quickly in the other room!" Umi shouted.

"What?" Nozomi and Eli quickly tried to head out, but their door suddenly slammed shut and dead locked itself.

"No! The door!" Nozomi said as she and Eli quickly grabs the door handle. They tried to open it but in a failed attempt.

Meanwhile outside, Kotori who watched the screen very intensely along with Maki—knowing that the two seniors are currently in trouble. Umi kept close watch on the dark figure, passing through the rooms as if he never needed a door to begin with and Honoka was still coughing from her snacks.

The screen was fine until they could see a static effect and a loud and clear voice through their walkie-talkie…

"Leave…."

And from that very second, all the lights in the building suddenly turns off.

* * *

"Hey! You two! Can you hear me?!" Maki shouted in panic—realizing that the walkie-talkie went off as well.

"Oh no!" Kotori covered her face in fear.

Maki clenched her fist and she quickly picks up a spare flashlight off the ground next to Honoka. Without a second thought, she ran into the building.

"W-whoaa! Maki-chan!" Honoka shouted.

"Maki!" Umi shouted as she takes one step and stopped at the time she look into the now dark-building.

"This is dangerous…" she continued before she also ran into the building to catch up with the red haired girl.

"U-Umi-chan!" Kotori said in panic,

"No…." she said weakly as she watches the blue haired girl go inside.

"Ooo! I'll catch up!" Honoka said before she also ran in along with her snacks.

"No-no! Honoka-chan!" Kotori's remark was ignored completely by the ginger haired girl.

"Uuh…! I have no choice!" Kotori quickly makes an emergency call as she watches the ginger haired girl leaving into the darkness.

* * *

Back to where the two seniors are,

They still have their flashlights to help them see their surroundings, though with a dead body on the ceiling and the scent of blood that remains strong in their nose, it makes them feel even less comfortable to stay around and eager for them to find a way out.

"Ericchi… did you find anything?" Nozomi asked.

"Just the radio and that's about it…" Eli replied as she browses through the area where the radio was.

"Keys…? No hidden keys?" Nozomi asked.

"No…"

"Think we can just jump off through the window…?" Nozomi asked again,

"The height is certainly not that challenging, but the thing is… I can't open the window…" Eli replied.

"Let's break it…" Nozomi said.

And without any delay, Eli picks up the radio and throws it at the window— yet the radio recoiled back and breaks into pieces. The two quickly make a distance.

"Great… a multilayered security glass…" Eli said.

"Such a choice for a security…" Nozomi said.

"Let's just keep looking, maybe there really is something for us to use…" Eli replied.

"I wonder if we can just break the door since it's probably a lot more fragile than that window?" Nozomi asked

"A good idea, but do you think any of us could do it?" Eli asked.

"Get your beast out of its place, maybe it can do it?"

"And you think I can get a hold of it?! I don't even remember anything whenever it took my consciousness!"

"This is why chocolate will do something good! That beast loves chocolate!"

"Huh? How could you just say that out of nowhere?!"

"It's not out of nowhere, Ericchi… it actually loves chocolate!"

"Bah—putting that aside now, Nozomi, do you think the police up there may have anything we can use?"

"Like…guns?" Nozomi asked.

"Exactly…." Eli replied.

"How can we get up there though… I see no chairs or sofa that could be enough for any of us to reach up there?"

"You can climb my shoulder… or you prefer me to climb your shoulder…" Eli said.

Nozomi lifts her eyebrows,

"That's a really hard choice, Ericchi!"

"Huh?"

"You see…if you are one that climbs my shoulder, I probably could see your cleavage down there—a good thing for me…but there's a big chance of—…." Before Nozomi finished, Eli sighed heavily and crouched,

"Get on my shoulder… I'm not getting on yours…"

"That was quick…" Nozomi said.

"Hurry up…" Eli continued.

Nozomi chuckled before she places her feet on Eli's shoulder, then was lifted up with ease— reaching up to the corpse,

"Ew…he smells worse up here…." Nozomi said as she pulls out the gun from his belt.

"Obviously, because he might have been sweating really hard before his death… I wonder why we couldn't hear him screaming…or anything… his mouth wasn't muffled…"

Nozomi remain quiet as she remembers the shoes and trouser that she saw before they headed upstairs. When Eli crouched down again, Nozomi was taking notice of the shoes and trousers that the police wore. It's somewhat different than the ones she saw.

"Maybe the sound made his scream blend together with the radio?" Eli continued as she lets Nozomi down.

"There might be real danger somewhere around this place, or perhaps an actual murderer instead of the spirit one..." Nozomi replied as she handed the gun to Eli.

"If that's what happened, I wonder why this person didn't take this gun from the police…and why we didn't see him when we got up here…."

"Maybe he is trying to stay as clean as possible?"

"Perhaps…" Eli replied before she aimed the gun at the door handle, firing a couple shots before breaking it with ease.

"You're good…" Nozomi replied.

"I knew how to use guns since I was ten… told you I'm a genius…" Eli said before the two could hear a loud thump from somewhere outside the room.

The two quickly opens the door and looks outside.

It was indeed dark—but a faint blue light went in through the windows and ventilation, they maneuvered their flashlights in a swift motion until they were able to spot two figures with flashlights in their hand, sitting on the floor of the family room. A heavy bleeding wound was seen on Umi's arm and Maki's leg was stabbed close to the knee. The two crouched as they both seemed to be trying to protect each other.

"Maki-chan! Umi-chan!" Nozomi shouted to their presence,

"Toujou-senpai!" Umi shouted back.

Then a dark shadow passes through the window rapidly towards the two seniors.

"W-watch out!" Umi warned before a slender shadow appears close to Nozomi and Eli—and it immediately attempted to slit Nozomi's throat before Eli quickly grabs his hand and throws him in a different direction. He floats and passes through all obstacles as he was thrown to the middle of the room.

A painful wound was created on Eli's wrist, and started blood dripping onto the floor as the two seniors keep their eyes on the creature.

"Leave…" he said again.

Eli and Nozomi frowned at the creature,

"And who are you to tell us what to do?!" Nozomi said.

The creature floats to them again as he positioned his knife—once again towards Nozomi instead of Eli who is clearly right in front, protecting the purple haired girl.

Once again, Eli grabs the creature and shoves him away to the other side while Nozomi has channeled a spell and blasts a spiritual fire towards him. The fire managed to burn his sleeve, though he was also quick enough to put it off by swatting his burning arm in the air.

When Nozomi thought to make another fire—the lights suddenly turned back on. It seemed that the creature was also surprised by it.

"Umi-chaaan! Maki-chaaan! Toujou-senpaiiii! Ayase-senpaiiii! I turned on the lights!" shouted a familiar voice from the kitchen.

"H-Honoka!" Umi said as she turn her eyes around.

The dark creature quickly floats his way to the kitchen,

"No!" Umi quickly ran without a second thought, Nozomi quickly ran downstairs as well while Eli suddenly crouched down and grabs her head. Maki who was left on the floor quickly turns her eyes towards the blonde as she started to be able to hear a mantra being spoken to her.

"Hey! You! Don't listen to that!" she shouted.

It took Nozomi's attention for a moment, but didn't let it concern her right now as she ran to the kitchen—channeling a spell that she certainly will shoot at the creature. Even though there's a part of Nozomi that wanted to meet the beast once again, knowing that a chocolate bar probably would be somewhere near her.

When she arrived to the kitchen, she could see Umi standing bravely in front of Honoka, spreading her hand as if she is trying to protect her while the dark creature floats above them. Nozomi was about to shoot her spiritual fire—but….

"Hey…do you want this?" Honoka suddenly said as she offered the Odango to the creature.

The creature remained silent, though he seemed to be interested on the offer.

"Somehow, you remind me with someone who I used to meet around here… I told him about 8 types of snacks that I love to bring around… then he said, this one is his favorite….because it looks like it was made with a lot of love…"

The creature seemed to take notice to her words, then he carefully approach them—with Umi still standing steadily in front of Honoka. The creature took the Odango and he was somehow able to pick it up.

He carefully eats the odango—and just within half a minute, his body started to react to it. For some reason, all the darkness started to dim and create popping lights. Eventually, he turned into a bright transparent soul…

"Magnificent! This is the best sweet I ever had!" the soul said.

"Wh-whoa?! Aren't you the man who I met before?!" Honoka said. Umi and Nozomi's jaw dropped from the statement.

"Ah—and you're that girl! It's been a while!" he said in a very friendly manner.

"W-wait a minute…what's going on here?" Nozomi asked—still holding the spiritual fire in her hand.

"Oh… a new lady… Hello! My name is Christopher, I came from England!" he said with a polite and gentle gesture.

Nozomi blinked, can't believe that he is actually a gentle man.

"I love Japanese food more than anything else, and the daughter of this café made the best Japanese food around here!" he said.

"So…that's why you had an affair with her?"

"Affair? No-way in seven hell, young lady! I'm very committed to m'one and only wife…" He replied.

"Then…the test-pack…?" Nozomi pointed.

"Ohh! That…. that wasn't m'child! That was from her relation with a man down the street, she was asking me to help to talk with her father—but there was a little misunderstanding when she was careless and come to m'home….supposedly, she came through the backyard of this very building to meet me and start talking about how to arrange things. Though she was found out in her room by her daddy, at the time she held her test-pack too. Spontaneously, her daddy was so angered and assumed I impregnated the sweet lass since I tended to give such a friendly visit to her… he killed us all in the backyard…you won't find the entrance if you didn't enter m'restaurant!"

"So...how did your body end up there along with his body….?" Nozomi asked again as she pointed to the mark on the kitchen,

"Ohhh…that one? Well… simply, someone moved m'body… but it wasn't the father or the daughter… It should be m'wife's cousin who now run's the restaurant!"

"Say…what?" Nozomi lifted her eyebrows.

"Yep, m'wife's cousin always wanted the restaurant! I've expected her to do as much! She was also one to kill the big man…"

"W-what….? Then... why did your soul carry such a weapon?" Nozomi asked as she pointed to the knife in his hand.

"That's what I've been wanting to ask m'self… I honestly have no reason to be aggressive towards others! Though there is a power that was starting to control I! Then all I could think of was to protect what's around me…. this café is precious to me, since this is where I enjoyed all the Japanese food!"

"So that's why you said 'leave'….huh?"

"Aye, young lady! Hmm...did I hurt any of ye?" he asked as he began to examine everyone—then noticing the wound on Umi's arm. Umi still remained in her place, looking at the transparent soul, who was somehow visible to her eyes.

"Ay-ay-ay…. I did…." He said sadly.

"There should be a first aid kit somewhere near the counter… y'all better medicate it before it's too late!"

"Tell me, what is this power that is starting to control you?" Nozomi asked.

"Hmm…sounded like a spell spoken by a lady— but if m'memory didn't fail me, it was spoken by a very tall lady with a black dress…"

"A very tall lady with black dress…." Umi and Nozomi repeated as they began to jog their memories, trying to remember where they found or heard something similar to it.

"I can feel her presence here…." he said before he floats to the family room. Nozomi, Umi and Honoka quickly follows suit to the very room as well—finding Maki no longer sitting on the floor, but a trail of blood leading upstairs.

"There!" the man pointed to where Eli and Maki crouched together upstairs,

* * *

Maki is currently yelling at Eli,

"Stop listening! Don't listen anything other than me right now! Don't listen to that mantra, ok?!"

Eli remains quiet as she touches her head. The mantra is getting louder and louder, yet Maki was also getting louder as well.

"Ericchi!" Nozomi called.

"Ah—the black lady escaped!" Christopher said.

Eli lifted her head, focusing her sight on Nozomi. She looked pale and her pupils seem to be smaller as well—it just looked like she was about to unleash something scary from within herself.

"Nozomi…." the blonde let out a sigh.

"Good timing… I think you just made the mantra stop…" Maki said.

The purplenette shook her head,

"The credit is yours, Maki-chan… good job on stalling her…" she said—even though there's a part of her that feels disappointed by that fact.

"Heh—not really, but if that makes me sound good…" the red haired girl replied with a slight blush on her face.

Suddenly, a familiar detective, two policemen and Kotori ran into the building.

"Halt!" the detective said as she found the group along with an unbelievably transparent yet visible ghost as well.

"W-waaah! Umi-chaan! Honoka-chan! You two are safeeee!" Kotori said cheerfully as she hugged the two.

"W-waaa! Kotori-chaaann!" Honoka hugged her back.

"K-Kotori!" Umi said as she tried to retort, causing her bleeding arm to accidentally get touched by the ash brunette.

"W-waaah! Umi-chan you're bleeding!" Kotori panicked before she quickly takes out her medical kit that was somehow placed on her arm. The detective probably gave it to her.

"Aren't you…. the restaurant owner…?"

"Oo…Aye! I am! Ms. Detective! I just killed someone too when I was angered! Think it was one of your policeman! But fret not, friend… I think I ate his soul as well! He won't haunt this place—Ha!"

"W-what? You just admitted it in a flash?!" The detective raises her eyebrow.

"Aye…but the previous one wasn't m'doing!"

"Then explain that!" The detective yelled to the spirit.

* * *

The Otonokizaka High-school, morning;

The case was put to an end and the two returned to their usual activities. Since they had to stay up all night the day before, the two was feeling somewhat tired as they prepare the next event which is the school's festival.

"Aaahmm…Good morning, Ericchi…" Nozomi greeted as she yawns.

"Feeling tired?" Eli asked,

"Somewhat… but how about your wrist? Is it all good?" she takes a look at the blonde's hand which she has a bandage warped on.

"It is…I'm glad we were able to get over the case…" Eli replied as she showed her warped wrist as she carried a stack of book on her other arm.

"For some reason, I feel glad that it didn't end with you eating them…"

"I suppose we owe something to Maki for that… but she knows well about when things could go wrong in me…"

"She was able to hear the mantra…I'm jealous…." Nozomi replied.

"Maybe that means you will have to increase your spiritual power…." Eli replied.

"It's not that simple, sheesh!" she shoves the blonde slightly.

"It takes a lot of years for someone to improve their power, you know!" she continued again.

Eli chuckled before she headed to the student council room, allowing Nozomi to walk in and shut the door carefully.

"You know, Ericchi… last night, Christopher paid a visit to my apartment…"

Eli let the stack of books, which she has been carrying to the student council room, fall on the table roughly, her face, which was amused, turned into a frown. Then she turned her sight to the purplenette along with a sharp glare,

"What did you do with him?"

"He was just telling me that he was thankful because I showed him mercy. He knows my ability and that's why he said that I probably am the biggest threat for his kind….Also, bringing Honoka with us…was a good thing for him…he can't imagine what may have happened if she didn't show up…."

"They're somehow becoming something good, yes…"

"Yup! ...did you know that they wanted to join more cases later?"

"Later, ok? The festival comes first…" Eli said.

"I know…hehe…Maki-chan also told me that she can help if there's more things to do—not only for the festival… who knew she could be such a sweet girl…."

"I'm just glad that there's only one girl like her right now, else it will be a big chaos…" Eli replied.

"Hmm…a girl like her? Who do you think a person that looks like her by personality…?" Nozomi asked teasingly,

"Well—…."

And before Eli was able to finish her words, a little girl with black hair came into the room,

"Oi! You two!" she said loudly.

"What? Why are you entering this place in that manner?" Eli asked coldly.

"Eeek…! I mean….Yooooooooo! You two!" Niko tried to regather her composure

"Nikocchi, we're not that friendly with each other…." Nozomi replied.

"Aarggh...Screw that… I just want to ask—Why are you two letting those damned ghost help running the Haunted Café in our classroom?!"

"Did they at least do their job?" Eli asked.

"They did! That's the problem! I mean… Don't you think it's cheating?!"

"No… everyone can bring anything to what they're representing to the public. It's open to the public after all so such way is necessary in order to grab more customers…" Nozomi replied.

"Huh?! Alright…then I guess I'll just try to get along with that noisy not-so-halved woman…" Niko replied sarcastically before she turns around—and bumps her head with a tall girl's breast.

She looks from the tip of the tall girl's shoes, a bandage warp seen around her knee, to an elite junior high-school uniform, which was perfectly fit and worn neatly, completing her entire look.

"The hell are you going?!" the tall girl complained as she didn't bent her head down but glancing down at the black haired girl with her snotty face.

"Huh? The heck are you?!" the short girl responded.

"Why are you bumping yourself to me?!" the tall girl said,

"Why are you not looking at me down here, idiot?!" the short girl said to the taller girl.

"Oh…Maki-chan…welcome…" Nozomi said as she looks at the taller girl.

"There you are…" Maki replied before she shoves the short girl away and enters the room.

"Oi! Watch yourself!" Niko complained at her but it was completely ignored...

"I've prepared everything in the auditorium, got a few judges to come in as well—and I'm one of them…"

"Ooh…so, you're claiming that you're a professional musician, huh?" Nozomi asked with an astonished smile.

"Hmmph…I could hear every flaw if you ask me, even if it was in the most similar sound…" Maki replied proudly.

"Where the hell did you get this arrogant brat from...Nozomi?" Niko asked as she keeps checking out the red haired girl,

"Huh? What is this little annoying thing doing here?" Maki responded.

"Shut up, you're no older than me I bet…" Niko replied.

"I'm 14 years old thank you…" Maki said.

"That's younger than me, idiot! I'm just as old as Nozomi and Eli!" Niko said.

"Lies, you're just an eight year old cosplaying as a high-school girl…right?" Maki replied.

"No, idiot, I really am older than that!"

"Lies!" then the two started to argue in front of the council's door.

Eli sighed heavily and coughed to get them to realize that they've been bothering the quietness, yet the two kept going on endlessly, which makes the blonde only sigh again.

"It's kind of reminding me with how we were, Ericchi…" Nozomi replied.

"I think we still constantly do that in some occasion…" Eli sighed.

"Speaking of which, do you want to have some chocolate? I think I could get one if you like—I found someone was selling all kind of snacks in their class…"

Eli blushes slightly to the offer,

"If you have nothing to do, then go on get it…" she said as she turns her eyes away.

"Hmmm….I see a hit of red on your face, are you thinking that it might be something special…Ericchi?"

"You have to get some papers done after you bring the chocolate for me, so you better hurry yourself…" Eli said.

"Eh….? But..aren't I supposed to buy the chocolate if I have nothing to do right now?"

"Just—Go! You have nothing to do right now so go get the chocolate!" Eli said

"Alright-Alright, Ericchi…I'll go get your chocolate…!" Nozomi said as she walks out of the council room, passing through the arguing girls who seem to have forgotten where they are.

Nozomi stopped in the hallway, facing towards the crowd and decorations around the area.

 _So you really do love chocolate!_

 _Or am I just assuming things?_

She talks to herself before she cheerfully walks to where she is supposed to go to.

* * *

The café, in a bright noon;

Christopher—the deceased restaurant owner was no longer able to be seen by the living. Though he managed to fill out all his tasks—from explaining to the detective of how the incident happened, then about how they can capture the sneaky culprit, and about how he has to put his biography written on a paper, helped by the detective herself.

It's still a mystery about how he was able to be seen before, unfortunately he has no knowledge of how to control his appearance.

Passing from door to door of each room, watching the café being emptied along with the restaurant makes he feel somewhat sad, but happy at the same time as he knows that he will have to move on from everything he owns in life. He told the detective to sell everything in the cafe and give all the wealth for charity since he knows—that nobody needs it anymore. Then as for his restaurant, he could've just given it to his wife, but he admitted that his relation with his wife isn't that good and he wishes to be able to get around the laws to make his wealth somehow not reach her. So he also told the detective to just sell everything else and close the restaurant for good.

The detective agreed to the idea considering a few things that he stated—from about how his wife helped her cousin to get her hand on his restaurant, and about how the wife pretend that she never knew about the fact that he died.

Even though he didn't know about the café owners whereabouts, or what he exactly feels toward this act, he just believes that what happened will be for the best of everyone else.

An altar to honor the family, the murdered police and him, is built behind the café. There are not many people who came to visit, but at least a few of the police have done the favor.

The detective helped him make the entire incident sound sensible in the ears of the living—knowing that a spiritual story will not do any good. Either way, he knows that there will be nothing left for him to think about.

His soul is in peace—if he may say. He just needs to head to the light after he feels satisfied looking at everything around him, which leads to his memory with the woman he will never see again.

Saying his last goodbye to the world, he turns his gaze to the door that appears brighter than the sunlight. He walks with a sure step, then eventually running to where he should've been after his life. Though when he was about to reach the door that he believed to be the last door he needed to get through—a pale and long slender hands grabs him.

When he turns his sight around—he could see a tall woman-like creature in a black dress. He swears he could see a hint of beauty before her face suddenly distorted into a monstrous mouth with small sharp teeth all over. She opened her huge mouth and in just within a second, she swallowed him.

He didn't get a chance to scream for help, even so, no one will hear him.

* * *

 **Honestly, i get a little hard time keeping the suspense, but i tried lol.**

 **That's it for now, see you next chapter.**


	12. Ch12: Behind the dark shadow

**As always, thanks for reviews/faves/follows!**

* * *

It's all darkness,

Until she saw a faint light shining through the closed windows. Her vision eventually focused as she heard a sound of chain bump into each other.

"Nozomi….!" a sexy begging voice called her.

Her eyes started to look for the source and when she turns back—she could see a tall blonde woman without any fashion covering her, chained in a position where she believes—is set for her to grope.

 _This must be a dream_ _…_

She thought.

 _A good kind of dream_ _…_

She thought again.

She could see a pair of fox ears on her head, with nine tails grown on where it should be.

"Please touch me already!" the blonde begged.

If she has to describe how it sounded to her, she has to say that she might've died from the sexiness, but all she could think of is to do what she was begged to.

"With pleasure—Ericchi!" Nozomi said cheerfully before she jumped and started from grabbing her breast.

She enjoyed every second of her hand touching the softness of the other girl's breasts…. After a while, she let her lips join on the feeling and began to taste her plain and cold nipples.

With full of passion, she sucked and licked it from time to time. She even heard the sound of the lustful moan coming out of the exotic blonde…

Her other hand attempted to reach the core which she has always dreamed to touch….but…

* * *

A hand dropped to her head,

"Nozomi…." said an angry whisper heard from a very close distance.

The purplenette just realized, she has been sucking on the back-tip of Eli's pen that was held by her near her breasts, she was also grabbing her soft part and currently, attempted to touch the blonde's core. She open her eyes wide and realizing that they're now in the student council room. She must've fallen asleep during meeting…again.

"What are you even dreaming about…." Eli sighed heavily at her.

"E-Eh…N-nothing! Really!"

"Is it something perverted—and about me again?" Eli frowned at her,

"N-no way! You're just overconfident, I don't always think about you…"

"Alright… I'll buy that… but now, Nozomi… we're going to be third years soon…so behave yourself, ok?"

Nozomi nodded slightly and smiled teasingly at her,

"Well…Ericchi… we're almost third years and isn't it the right time for us to give it a shot…"

"Still a big no, Nozomi…we're not going out… you're still not able to take care of yourself… do I have to remind you about how you get anemia…? One flirt and half a liter of blood spilled for nothing."

"I was just slacking on my practice…"

"Tell me anything you're not slacking at. You're slacking in your studies, in student council work, in your spiritual power improvement, and in your—endurance practice!"

"Well, at least I'm not slacking on getting my luck…"

"And those lucks are like the only thing that helped you survive till now!"

"But Ericchi, you know… I wouldn't be able to use my luck to survive if I wasn't a genius…"

"…and who told you that it needs a genius to use luck?"

"Ericchi…"

"I never told you that!"

Suddenly, the door of the student council opened,

"Uwwwwoooooooo! Eli-senpai! Nozomi-senpai! I spotted a spiritual call!" a ginger haired girl shouted as she showed herself in the room.

"S-Spiritual….call?" Eli flustered,

"Oh—right, Ericchi, Honoka-chan just started to learn her spiritual power. Umi-chan and Kotori-chan agreed to do the same too because they wanted to help souls like Christopher!" Nozomi said.

"When did this start…?" Eli frowned slightly at them.

"Just right after the festival, Ericchi… so that would be like… three weeks ago? They were also influenced by their meeting with Snow Girl, Hanako, Reiko, and Akamanto!"

"Yep-yep! We started to be able to see them, not as clear, but still! Hehe…we really want to help you two on helping lost souls! So please take care of us, ok?" Honoka added.

Eli remains silent, wondering what she should say to that.

"So…what is this spiritual call, Honoka-chan?" Nozomi asked.

"Ehehe… it just about a few miles from the school, a lost little boy soul! I think we can help him find the light quickly! Kotori said, he probably might be that one boy who died from the playground incident…he was in the last month's newspaper!"

"Ahhh..is that so? Then, let's just get Hanako-chan to help us out!" Nozomi said.

"Yup-yup!" Honoka replied.

"Do you want to come with us, Ericchi?" Nozomi asked.

"What are you talking about, Nozomi… we just had a meeting and we need to document the results before we forget all the details! Besides, when we become the third years, I might not be elected to be the president again, we better work on our documents so that the next president doesn't have a hard time on her first few days of work!"

"Ok, then you do that yourself since I wasn't paying attention to the meeting anyway! I'll help you with the later work after this!"

"Yuss! Let's go-let's goo!" Honoka said before she and Nozomi left Eli alone in the room.

Eli was so surprised at what Nozomi decided to do. She couldn't let any word come out of her mouth. She knows that Nozomi had a point where she might not be of use in the current work, but still…

Something feels hanging inside her…and she doesn't know how to describe such feeling.

Without her knowing, a tall woman-like creature was peeking from behind the window…looking at how Eli's face darkened ever since she was left alone by her said to be a best-friend.

* * *

The Shrine, dusk;

Nozomi, Honoka, Umi, Kotori, and Maki gathered as they waited for the sky to be a little darker. Meanwhile, they were all checking on their own belongings, knowing that they will do some hunting in the dark—as always.

"I'm feeling somewhat excited to do this… I mean… it should be my first time of doing something real instead of practicing with the Snow Girl and everyone else…" Umi said.

"There, Umi-chan..it shouldn't be that different. You just need to make sure you spot them, then try to talk with them—and if possible, convince them to go to the light…or let's say, to find peace…" Honoka said.

"Say though, Honoka-chan, how did you know that you should help them to go to the light? I mean…from my history, I've always been just exorcising them with my fire…"

"Hehe…my mother told me thats how it should be for, everyone who has passed away. They just really need to move on from life and that's it… making them remember what they love will work!" Honoka said.

"That's a simple belief, but powerful…I'm amazed…" Nozomi complimented.

"Really? Hehe… I'm glad!" Honoka replied.

"Heh—My family never had any experience with spiritual beings, but I was strangely born with the ability…. It's so annoying…" Maki said.

"It might be written in your destiny, Maki-chan…maybe you're just meant to meet us from that…"

"Uh-huh… but anyway, why isn't your soulmate coming today?" she asked.

"Soul mate? Hmm…that's such a title, anyway, she has some student council work to do today… so she can't join us…"

"Student council work? Aren't you the vice-president?" Kotori asked.

"Yup…but most of the time, I only start to work when Eli finishes documenting…which means, I always do the finishing touches…"

"Oooh! Sounds amazing!" Kotori commented.

"Yep! That I am! But it's still a lot of work for me, you know… Ericchi has a really complex mind and she tends to over detail things…"

"I totally can see that from that book…" Umi said as she looks into the sketchbook that Eli made to document their journey with spiritual beings.

"Oh, yes! That's right… The book is amazingly detailed! It's very interesting though!" Kotori said as she ran to reach the book and opened it—showing the part about Christopher.

He was illustrated in great detail, along the back-story written by the detective, told by Christopher himself before he disappeared from the living's sight. There are also some testimonies given by Nozomi and Eli herself about the case.

"I wish I could try making it…" Umi said as her eyes sparkle when looking at how perfect everything is created.

"You can try for this case!" Nozomi said.

"R-Really?!" Umi replied with a shine all over her face,

"Yep! Since Ericchi is too busy, of course you can do that!"

"T-Thanks a lot! I'll do my best!" Umi said.

And at the time they feel like they could go, an old woman came by,

"Ah…isn't this Toujou Nozomi and friends?" she said,

"Oh! Kagemi-san!" Nozomi greeted her.

"You're in practice today?" she asked gently.

"Yep! I think I'm encouraged to do some practice for myself as well while training them!"

"That's good….hmm…where's your other friend though?"

"She is busy today…" Nozomi replied.

"Ah…I see…" the old woman smiled faintly.

"What about you? Are you well today?" Nozomi asked.

"Me…?" the old woman chuckled.

"Nothing is better than to feel an ache on my back. It makes me always remember that I'm given with such long years to live on…"

"Ah—by the way, please introduce yourself to the senior!" Nozomi said to her friends.

"Kagemi-san! I'm Kousaka Honoka!" Honoka said energetically.

"Hehe! I'm Minami Kotori!" Kotori bowed gently.

"Sonoda Umi, please take care of me…" Umi bowed politely.

"Nishikino Maki…." Maki said without even looking at her.

The old woman chuckled,

"Looks like your new friends are fun as well…"

"Of course!" Nozomi replied cheerfully.

"I hope that doesn't mean you're going to abandon her?"

"No way! Ericchi and I will stay as best friends! It's just that we have to work on our own right now…"

"Is that so?"

"Yep!"

"Funny, that I thought she'll be against that idea… she looks like a clingy person to me…" Kagemi said with a playful smile on her face.

"Ericchi…clingy?" Nozomi took a moment to process the word.

"Maybe she is!" she continued.

"Then you might not want to leave her for too long…else she'll be jealous…" the old woman replied with her teasing tone.

"Ah–she will understand … don't worry about us…we're already inseparable!" Nozomi replied surely.

"So, what are you all practicing today?" the old woman asked.

"Capturing souls and make then return to the light!" Honoka replied.

"Sounds good! A hard challenge like that is great for your practice!"

"you think so?"

"Yes, child! It's easy to beat some lesson to a spirit, but it's not easy to convince a spirit to return to the light. It may take more than a trick to do so… if you're lucky, they might teach you about how to use spiritual powers as well as their gratitude…"

"Oh…?" Nozomi tilts her head,

"Yes, some spirits discover their ability on their own, the older they are, the better they are at using their power…but of course, I'm not talking about how long they have been dead, but it was about how long they stay as a spirit…"

"Ahh….ok…."

"There's an exception, if one spirit hangs out with the other, they might as well learn some new techniques from them….even though it might not be as perfect as the other…"

"Hmm..I wonder if we can just ask to be taught…" Honoka asked.

"They don't always say yes, just look at the stingy Snow Girl…" Nozomi said.

"Knowledge is not free…" The old woman said as she chuckled to her statement.

"Now that you mention them…." Maki said.

"I haven't heard from any of them…." she continued.

"Perhaps they're scared of my presence…." Kagemi replied.

"Eh..? Why? You seem nice to us…" Honoka replied.

"Maybe I'm too intimidating for them…" the old woman chuckled again.

"I can totally understand that…some souls just don't want to show up around me if I didn't bring Ericchi with me…" Nozomi complained.

"Well…Kyuubi is always attractive… else they won't be able to get their prey…"

"P-Prey?! You're saying it like kyuubi is some sort of a hunter or something…" Nozomi said.

"They are hunters, born as a way of the God to control souls, if I have to say. There is not many living who give such good deeds like you… so they had to be the one who did the population control…"

"Wait a minute though, doesn't that beast only exist there because she was possessed? I mean…. I didn't see that beast before when I met her…"

"Some may sleep before true danger approaches them…but their existence has stained their life from the very beginning."

"You're saying, that Ericchi is a kyuubi from birth?" Nozomi asked again to confirm.

"Why does it sounds funny to my ears now… born as a nine-tailed fox… what a load of crap…" Maki commented.

"Quite similar to one who is born with ears to listen…" Kagemi said.

"G-gh…!" Maki smirked,

"Don't you feel bad for them? Even though, they're born to be hunters, they may have as well been born to be hunted by the bigger danger. They who can oppose will oppose, and they who can swallow will swallow… in other words, they may be as attractive as gold, but at one time, they may disappear as they weren't able to survive from a bigger predator who has no interest in them…"

"Oo…so..we must protect them!" Honoka said.

The old woman chuckled,

"Ah… that's a nice way to see it…." she said.

"I see…so maybe this is why I was brought here by fate…." Umi said.

"Mm… we will practice hard so that we could protect Ayase-senpai!" Kotori said.

"It will be exciting to know how you will all grow…" the old woman said.

"But to be honest, the safest way for the kind of you is to just keep distance… the closer you are to them, the more danger you will be faced with. At least, that is what you need to do if you wish for a peaceful life…"

Maki frowned to the statement,

"But I don't buy that….in all honesty… there will never be a peaceful life. We're all born with a challenge to face. So what if your soul is a beast or you're hunted or any other crap you're destined to have… "

"…and those words came out from someone who prayed to be born differently…" Kagemi said.

"..Well, I'm sorry to have realized that late. Running away will just make me regret of losing a chance to do something good for others… that's why, I've started to accept what have been given to me…and let me tell you—I used to hate the fact that I was born as papa's princess, now I'm proud to be my papa's princess…."

The old woman laughed,

"What a youthful spirit!"

"D-don't laugh! I'm serious!" Maki protested.

Umi, Honoka, and Kotori smirked while Nozomi just lifted her eyebrows, wondering what she should say toward the almost wise and mature words she said…

"Well anyway, child, good luck on your practice…this old woman needs to tend to her back…."

"Ok, Kagemi-san! Take care!" Honoka replied.

"Thank you for your advice…" Umi said politely.

"See you later!" Kotori said.

"Later…" Nozomi said to the old woman.

* * *

Kindergarten near the Otonokizaka High-school, night-time;

"Say…" Honoka started a conversation as they all walked together,

"Are any of you getting in trouble for going out late…?" she asked.

"I had to make excuses about going to your house to help you do homework…" Umi said.

"Same with me…" Kotori said.

"E-eh?! Why are you two putting that on me…?!" Honoka complained.

"That's the only reason we could think of to let our parents say ok to staying out until late night…" Umi said.

"Yep, besides, you're like the only person who can make us stay until midnight…" Kotori added.

"Huuuhh…. That's mean! But, what about you Maki-chan…?"

"I'm the Princess…I do whatever I want…" Maki said.

"That's a short response!"

"Huh? Then what should I tell you…?"

"I mean, are your parents not worried if you go out at night…?"

"They're always out until late night…or sometimes, they don't even return home because the clinic is too busy. My parents tend to assume that I am sleeping somewhere in the clinic or at home…we have plenty of rooms and I always move around from here and there… besides, I know how to defend myself… they gave me some martial arts lesson ever since I was little…"

"T…that's nice…." Honoka said.

"What about you, Honoka…? What did you tell your parents?" Umi asked.

"Ah—they will just assume that I escaped to your home… no one worried!"

"So that's fair, right?" Umi said.

"Ehehe… hmmm..what about you, Nozomi-senpai?" Honoka asked.

Nozomi didn't respond, she was too deep in her thought about what Kagemi just told her.

"Nozomi-senpai…?" Honoka called her once again.

"O-oh! S-Sorry!" she snapped out of her thoughts.

"What was the question again…?" Nozomi asked.

Kotori, Umi, and Maki took a notice to Nozomi's surprised face. They wonder if she's alright…

"Are your parents ok with you going out at night?" Honoka asked.

"As long as they don't know…I guess…" she said.

"You're sneaking out?!" the others said loudly.

"No…not quite… I live alone…." Nozomi replied.

"Oh…" they calmed down,

"Wait what?!" They said all together again.

"G-Geez…nothing is wrong with that, right?" she said.

"O..of course…" they said all together.

Honoka was about to ask another question, though Nozomi spoke up first,

"But I'm not always alone, sometimes Ericchi comes by to stay over! That's what a best friend is for, right?"

"True-true!" Kotori said with a smile.

"What about Eli-senpai though? Does she live alone or… with someone? I heard she is a transfer student from a foreign country…" Umi asked,

"Well...she lives with her younger sister, I don't know her name though…she never introduced her to me…" Nozomi replied.

"Ah…that reminds me, Yukiho—my little sister often brings a friend to our home. She is a foreigner too and her name is Ayase Arisa!" Honoka said.

"That's probably her sister…" Nozomi said.

"Definitely…the surname gives it away…" Umi said.

"Well, she said where she often pays a visit is at a manjuu shop near a dojo…"

"That's definitely my home…" Honoka said.

"And….the Dojo… would be my home…." Umi said.

"Oh…? Small world!" Nozomi chuckled.

"Ah—Everyone! Look! That's Hanako-chan and the Snow Girl!" Kotori said as she pointed to a direction.

"Ooo—Nice job, Kotori-chan! Looks like your eyes are getting better with vision!" Nozomi appreciated.

"I barely see them… that's awesome…Kotori-chan!" Honoka added.

"Ah, you're right…I can see them…but it's still too transparent for me…" Umi said.

"Huh….really? I didn't hear them talking or anything…" Maki said.

"A weakness that you have, Maki-chan… but at least your ear is a lot better than any of us…" Nozomi said.

"What are they doing though?" Kotori asked as she pointed out about how they seemed to be hiding behind bushes.

"Didn't we tell Hanako-chan to wait for us here? Maybe they're trying to surprise us?" Umi replied.

"I don't think so…" Nozomi replied as she walks faster to approach them.

The rest of them follow up.

Nozomi carefully sits next to them as they intensely watch something at the kindergarten yard. The two ghosts don't seem to realize her presence. Honoka, Umi, Maki and Kotori remain silent as they also join them to sit behind the bush.

"Oohh…. I never knew you like watching kids play around…"

"It's not as simple as that! Take a look at that tallest girl! She looks like she is a living, who is able to split her consciousness—it's a very high tier ability!" The Snow Girl said.

"Ooh…which one is the tallest?" Nozomi asked again.

"It's the one with short brown hair and pink eyes! I think they called her as Hanayo-nee-san!"

"Split consciousness? What does it mean?" Honoka asked.

"It means that they're able to put themselves to sleep as they let a part of their soul leave their body. They will look like someone who is deep in their sleep, but in fact their second consciousness is actually somewhere else… that's why, sometimes it takes a while for someone to wake up from their sleep." The Snow Girl replied.

"Amazing… how did someone have such an ability…" Umi commented.

"Maybe, she was taught by some specific spirit so that she could play with them all…hmm…why did I never think of that before?" Hanako said.

Then they all went quiet for a moment until…

"Aaaahhhh! When did you all come here?!" The Snow Girl and Hanako shouted at them.

"W-Why are you surprised now?!" Maki said.

"We are not that aware, you know! That's totally mean!" The Snow Girl said.

"Yes! It's a crime to spirits!"

"Say what…?" Maki smirked.

"Now-now, what so interesting about them other than that specific girl that's able to split consciousness…"

"Well...why did you tell us to see them…?" the Snow girl replied.

"Oh right, that will be my idea…" Kotori said.

"So what do we need to do here?" Hanako asked.

"Well uh...you see…I heard from a few people, who often walk around here at night. They said, they often hear children laughing loudly and sometimes they scream for help as well…" Kotori said.

"That's it?" Hanako asked.

"Yep…"

"So...what's wrong with existing…?" The Snow Girl ask.

"Uh…it scares peoples…." Kotori said.

"What? Doesn't make sense, we just play around with each other and ask for help and we're scary?" Hanako said.

"Now-now, you made me feel like we're going to be here for nothing…didn't I tell you that we are only going to do one that will intentionally disturb the living?" Nozomi said.

"E-Eh? We-Well…" Kotori averted her eyes.

"I understand! It must be that even though they only exist, they are sort of disturbing, because they never show themselves and they trigger one's heart to look for them…." Honoka said.

"Hmm…she's got a point, because they ask for help, people immediately think that there's a presence of danger nearby. It makes them worry and it makes them feel insecure… that's why she thinks that we should get rid of them or make them stop doing such…."

"Y-yeah! I guess I'm ok with them playing around!"

"Alright…so, we're just going to ask them what makes them scream for help, right?" Nozomi asked.

"Y-yeah!" Kotori replied.

"Then, count us in…" Snow girl said,

"Yep! We will be glad to help!" Hanako said.

"So...how are we going to do it?" Umi asked.

And before everyone could say what they think, Honoka comes out of the bushes and shouts.

"Ooooooiiii! Did you all hear me?!"

"H-Honoka!" Umi exclaimed.

All the children soul and the one soul that said to be part of the living, turn their eyes to her…

Honoka, knowing that she is noticed—runs towards them without a single doubt in her step…

But at the time she was about to reach where they are,

A sound that only Maki and the Snow Girl could hear came out.

It's like a loud shrine's bell ringing somewhere…

In that very moment, one of the kids shouted,

"Oh no! We have been spotted!" he said.

"Run!" They said—and even the living soul quickly ran and faded away into the thin air—or at least that's what Honoka saw.

Umi, Kotori, and Hanako catches up to Honoka while Maki, Nozomi, and the Snow girl seemed to go somewhere else.

"Ah…they ran away…" Honoka said sadly.

"That's why you should wait for us to plan something…" Umi said.

"Y-yeah! Hnn…now what should we do?" Kotori asked.

"Hellloooooo! Please come backkkkk!" Hanako shouted.

"I…I don't think that will work…" Umi said.

When they start to look around, the ash brunette could feel something watching over them. She began to feel insecure—but there's something else that she could feel.

It wasn't her that might be in danger…

But….

"Hanako-chan!" Kotori shouted as she quickly tries to protect her by jumping—attempting to shove her and it was magically working…except… it as well caused her to be hit by a creature that just pounced on her.

A Gray and black furred creature—like a nine tailed fox, appeared along with a bell attached on its neck, it was able to push Kotori's soul off her body. Fortunately, Umi was able to notice the snap as her soul left the body.

It was similar to what happened to her…

Except, she may not have as much time as her—knowing that there's a mysterious nine-tailed fox nearby.

The nine-tailed fox growled at Kotori who tried to get up from her fall. It takes a second for her to realize that she has left her body by accident.

When the nine tailed fox was about to jump her, a little kid held it back strongly along with a giant hand that spawned near her…

"Run!" Hanako shouted to Kotori.

The ash brunette quickly escaped as far as she could—leaving her empty vessel on the ground near Umi.

Umi, who knows that they may have to take a long time to merge back and also that it will be impossible to do it when a hunter is about to eat her friend. Umi picked up her friend's body in her arms and ran away to follow where her friend's soul escaped to. She really hopes that there will be a place for them to merge the soul and body back.

"W-whoa! Umi-chaan! Wait for me!" Honoka shouted as she ran to catch up with them..

The Nine tailed fox turn its focus to Hanako who has been holding her, the little girl makes a slight frown before it tried to bite her—and she dodged it with ease before she escapes to the sky and dashes to someplace else.

The fox was quiet as it turns its eyes the other way—which is where the trio ran into.

* * *

The other side of the area,

Nozomi, Maki, and the Snow Girl kept chasing a group of children. They may be unseen for Maki—but she knows that she just needs to stick around the other two. When they keep running, Maki realized that the shrine bell sound started to fade from her ears.

"The Bell sound is fading…" Maki said.

"What Bell?" Nozomi asked.

"A shrine bell, this place might have been a shrine before it was rebuilt into a school for little kids…" The Snow Girl replied.

"Oh…?" Nozomi raised her eyebrow.

"Then, that bell is probably not coming from the building itself, right?" Nozomi asked.

"Yes…it should be coming from a nine tailed fox that is tasked to guard the shrine…" The Snow Girl replied.

"So…what are we chasing now?" Maki asked.

"Kids… they're our targets, right?" Nozomi replied.

"Yes…but what about the others? Why are they not coming with us?" Maki asked.

"Let them stay there, maybe their position right now will come in handy later…" Nozomi said.

"Then, what about the nine-tailed fox? Is it any danger?" Maki asked.

"Not for the living. They can't harm them without a living body…" The Snow girl replied.

"You think this nine-tailed fox has no living body?"

"They can't…" The snow girl said.

"What about Hanako-chan though?" Nozomi asked.

"She'll be fine… she is a legendary soul like me, that kind of soul isn't scary at all…" The snow girl replied surely.

And suddenly, Hanako came by,

"Yuki-nee-chan! Yuki-nee-chan!" she shouted. Nozomi, Maki and the Snow Girl stopped, letting the child escape completely from their sight.

"What's up, Hanako-chan? Are you being chased by the meanie fox?"

"No-no! But Kotori-nee-san is! She was trying to save me, but then she was suddenly able to touch me…and then….she got hit by the meanie fox! Then her soul got knocked away from her body!"

"Now that's scary!" The snow girl said.

"W-wait…what?" Nozomi flustered.

"It's possible, once you learned how to touch and be touched!" the Snow girl said.

"Kotori-chan learned how to touch and be touched? Why does it sound wrong to me?! "

"This is why you shouldn't watch too much porn…" the snow girl said.

"I'm not even saying it in a perverted way! I'm saying that because, I haven't learned about that and Kotori-chan beat me to it?!" Nozomi complained.

"You've been slacking too much then…" the snow girl said.

"Putting that aside! Where should we go now?" Maki asked.

"I think we should help those three first…" Nozomi said.

"Yes, they need to be saved before anything bad happens!" The Snow Girl said before they all quickly runs to where the trio is.

As they left, one of the kids peeked—wondering what they might've left for…

* * *

Meanwhile,

The fox kept running towards them—perhaps, they could spend a moment to think of a reason why they are suddenly being chased by the fox… or perhaps about the reason why they're running to the inside of the kindergarten building instead of the outside—or just far away from this very place...

Another thing about them— Umi seemed to be able to endure all the running with a soulless body in her arm. But in all her senses, she never expected to run after the soul of the body and also running to save her from a hunter.

When it gets darker, she started to see her soul slightly clearer—while also started to see how the beast is catching up to her. But on the bad side, despite her careful and diligent nature, her eyes still couldn't support her enough to see an obstacle under her, causing her to stumble. The time she realizes that she is about to fall, she quickly turn herself around, letting her body fall first while the body she carried fall on top of her.

"W-wwaaa! Umi-chan!" Honoka ran back to her. Kotori went ahead—knowing that the beast won't give her time to stop, unfortunately she doesn't notice that her friend just fell.

Umi stayed in place, feeling a painful ache around her ankle. It's not that rare for her to have her ankle strained, or getting bruises from her daily practice. But… now she felt herself conflicted of what she should do with the fact that she is now carrying the cold body.

"Honoka, please take her, and stay close with her…but be quiet!"

"E-Eh…? But… what about you?"

"I'll stay here for a bit, I think I sprained my ankle…" Umi replied.

"Oh… Ok!" Honoka replied before she picks up the body on top of her and starts running to catch up with the other girl—along the beast that tried to catch her.

Umi was left on the ground, she was then dragging herself with her hand to the side of the school's hallway. Without a flashlight in her hand—or any memory of holding one, she barely could see anything inside the room, and if it's not because of the night sky shining through windows, she doubts she could see the locker with some pictures displayed on it.

It's not exactly the same picture, but she feels like, she used to be where she is right now—long before she was as old as now. She tried to look for the switch, the one switch that she remembers well because she used to try so hard to reach it as a kid but should be easier now even with her limping legs.

As expected, she managed to find it and…the light of the very room went on. Showing the almost similar room with the one that recalled her memory…

This is her kindergarten—a place where she met Kotori and Honoka for the first time. This is the place where she started to realize that she is no longer a lonely girl who always hid behind everything.

There was a time where she ran from her home to this very place in the middle of the night—just because she accidentally caused her dear friend to cry.

That time, she borrowed Kotori's crayon when they had to make a picture of what they love. She needed a deep blue and light gray color, but her crayon only had 8 colors while Kotori's had about 64 colors. She remembers, when she was drawing what she loved, Honoka asked to borrow the same color from her… and later—she forgot to return it. She didn't know where Honoka placed them, but by the time she realized that she had to return the crayon, Honoka already went back home with her parents while she was stuck with the ash brunette girl that was waiting for her to return the crayon.

It took all of her courage to say sorry—because she took a really long time to look for the crayon and she also made her wait for nothing. She remembers well that the ash brunette's honey colored eyes started to get watery and she was also immediately running away back to her mother after hearing that Umi couldn't find the two missing crayons.

That's why, she decided to return to the school just to work herself to find the two missing crayon. She remembers well that she wasn't scared about anything that time—but now that she thought about it… she remember she met someone that night— that someone helped her find the missing crayons.

He was a little boy, a gentle little boy with pale face. He never told his name to her, but she remembers that he told her to not speak of his presence because the giant fox is looking for him.

Perhaps, this is what the spirits inside this very place always had trouble with? The constant chasing and the constant hiding…

Perhaps… their mission now is not to stop the kids from bothering the living with their nose, instead, it was to stop the fox from chasing after them…

But how?

Will she need to have a force like Eli? The one with a fox spirit—one that was so close to swallowing her.

Or perhaps some fire power like Nozomi?

She doesn't know what they did to have those…

Maybe they're just naturally born with it….

She sighed at her helpless mind. Feeling so useless in this case until….

"Oh—it's you again!" A boy voice said.

Umi quickly turns around,

The very same boy, the one she met that day, stood in the corner of the room.

"How can I help you?" he smiled to her with his mischievous face.

* * *

Meanwhile,

"Where are they going to, Hanako-chan?" Nozomi asked.

"Uuhh—I don't know! They should be around here but….!" Hanako tried to look around until she saw a light come from the room inside the kindergarten building.

"Maybe there! That light wasn't on before!" Hanako said.

"Alright…let's go!"

"W-wait a minute!" Maki said.

"What is it, Maki-chan?" Nozomi asked.

"Did kyuubi always have a bell on their neck?"

"No...they don't…the one that's bound to a place does!" The Snow Girl replied.

"So…maybe… that thing…is protecting this place, right? Then…. We're the intruders, he is the guardian…?" Maki asked.

The three paused, seeing that it does make sense…

"Can we just somehow move everyone from this very place…?" Maki asked.

"But…who owns this place to begin with?" The Snow Girl asked.

"Yeah…who owns this place?"

"Hmm…I don't think we should think about who own this place, but instead, we should think of a the better benefit for the living…" Nozomi said.

"You're siding with the living!" Hanako said.

"I think she is right though… because this world…is used by the people who are alive to live their lives. We're just visitors…" The snow girl said.

"Eh…Yuki-nee-chan?" Hanako flustered.

"You see, Hanako-chan… whichever of them gives a more peaceful result is the one that we need to keep. Because after all, we don't want to be claimed as the mischievous and evil being…right?"

"Hmm…Ok….so…how do we figure that out?" Hanako asked.

"Simple, Toujou-san will corner that beast with her spiritual power…then we ask him, what he is doing… a noble beast like him will give us an honest answer!" The Snow Girl said.

"Are you sure we can do something like that? What if he lies?" Maki asked.

"Wait…can he even talk?" Nozomi asked.

"Oh—come on, he is an expert guardian, nothing like your newbie friend…" The Snow Girl said.

"Hey, shouldn't we just go ahead now? Maybe they're waiting for our help…" Hanako said.

"You're right…I'll go!" Maki said before she quickly runs away along with Hanako.

"Ah—right!" Nozomi was about to run as well, but…

"Wait…Toujou-san…" The Snow Girl said.

"What is it?" Nozomi replied.

"Speaking about your friend…." The Snow girl pauses…

"Maki-chan…?"

"No…the best one…."

"Ericchi….?"

"Yes…. I believe you were not that surprised after knowing about her and that kyuubi…." The Snow girl said.

"I was surprised at one point…but…not quite….I was somewhat expecting that…" Nozomi replied.

"I see…but…after knowing that fact… didn't you think of something….?"

Nozomi stayed quiet for a moment before she sighed.

"Honestly….I do have a thought… and…because I know something about them as well…" Nozomi replied sadly.

"So…are you going keep trying?" The Snow Girl asked.

"I don't see any problem…perhaps she could just bind herself to me and be my guardian instead of staying in a place…"

"It's not about that, you know… it's about your own safety… I believe you realize that you're not the only one who wants to have a guardian for your own soul… The closer you are to her, the more danger you will face… besides, if you fail to bind herself to you… she will be your predator…"

"Maybe I should just start eating danger for breakfast first before she eats me…" Nozomi replied with her smug smile.

The Snow Girl sighs at her response.

"But really, I don't mind danger…Even if it will take a while, I'm sure that I'll be able to have her heart for myself…."

"Don't you realize that it might be her charm that causes you to act like this?"

"What's the difference with looking at an extremely attractive person? Look now, I have my personality, and they have their personality…do you get what I mean?"

"Not quite…" The Snow Girl replied.

"Each person has their own way to live. They can think and they can decide how they want to act. Though, one cannot control how they want to be seen. Maybe for some, she is attractive, but maybe for some other, she is not. You cannot blame her for being attractive when I was the one who wanted to do something to her—it's my personality that makes me do it! I do not simply act like a mindless being!"

"W-welll…" the snow girl tried to think of a response.

"I honestly don't think that Ericchi can be blamed for being what she is. If she is to be blamed for being attractive, why are there only the mindless ones that bother her? in other wordz, from a population of a hundred souls in an area, only ten are trying to stick themselves on her—and you're one that proved to resist her!"

"Eh—honestly, she is pretty hot for me too…"

"And yet you've been doing nothing to her, right?"

"I've been watching her from a distance…"

"And that's about it, right?"

"Also peeking at her during baths…"

"And that's…about it….right?" Nozomi's voice getting slightly louder.

"Watching her from a close distance when she is asleep…"

"And that's about it, right…..?" her voice could be compared to a shout.

"Also leaving a few things in front of her door…or some times food on her table and leave a secret admirer note…"

Nozomi took a deep breath…

"And that's about it….RIGHT?!" she put a heavy emphasis on the last word.

"I'm sorry—she is hot…" The Snow Girl said.

"Didn't someone tell me that they're more into manly guys than her?!"

"She has all the perfect looks, the fit muscles…the smooth skin…and…her handsome and gentle voice…and those fingers too….and her long tongue…."

"How did you even know about her tongue's length?!"

"She licked her nose at one point—and I saw that…she didn't even need to move her jaw too much…so that's why I assume…her tongue is long…."

"Now I feel like I've been slacking on getting to know her…"

"That's why you should start acting instead of only dreaming about her…"

"It's hard…you know…I have to be very-very careful on what I'm doing, else, I might piss her off…" Nozomi said sadly.

"I wonder why you like her now… I mean. Do you actually want to live near a time bomb…?"

"It's just the beginning, I'm sure that she is actually a very gentle and kind person!"

"You're really stubborn…" The Snow Girl said.

"You know what, I've been trying to ask her to go out…"

"And she never takes it seriously because you don't seem to be ready…right?"

"You know how it is…"

"Why do you always get a nosebleed whenever something sexy comes up in your head…?"

"I don't know…." Nozomi sighs again.

"It was what made me not have a girlfriend until now…"

"How….?"

"There was a time when I had the hots with someone in my junior high. She was…a blonde…like her too… but she was really gentle and motherly. She smiled almost to everyone…and she was alway someone who gave all the moral support that someone needs."

"Wait…don't tell me… did you try to—….?"

"Yes! I did! I always had my heart beating so fast when I was so close to her, wishing that she swung in the same way i did but—….at the time I wanted to ask her out….. I was thinking about something and….I had a nosebleed! Then…. I made her uniform dirty! But she was worried about me instead of her uniform…she took me to the hospital too at that time…. She introduced me to her boyfriend! I was so….sad!"

"….and…you cried….?"

"Of course! My heart shattered in a flash!"

"You poor thing… but I honestly think that's your fault for being a pervert though…" The snow girl said.

"I'm not a pervert! Sheesh! Anyway though, I did the same thing with Ericchi last time, she was complaining but I feel like she is actually fine with it…but she still doesn't take my word seriously!"

"That's because you look like a joke…"

"I wasn't joking though!"

And the two keep talking until they started to forget what they were supposed to do.

* * *

At the time Maki and Hanako enter the building,

They found that the room that lit up was empty.

"No one is here? That's a total disappointment…" Maki said.

And no one answered.

"Eh…Hanako-chan, are you with me now?! I can't see you!" Maki shouted.

"H-Hang on… Maki-nee-chan… I'm trying to find my way in…" Hanako replied.

"H-Huh? Your way in? The door is just—…" she pauses.

"There's a seal that closes the entrance…it looks new too…."

"New…huh? So someone might have just put it there?" Maki walks to the door.

"Yeah…but I doubt you know how to remove the seal…we need Nozomi-nee-chan…" Hanako said.

"I wonder why she hasn't caught up with us yet…" Maki wondered.

"Sheesh…she must be stuck with Yuki-nee-san….again…"

"Again…? What do you mean?"

"When they both are together, they start talking—it's like… it's not going to end until Nozomi-nee-chan needs to do something very important…"

"Oh…."

"I used to be stuck with them when we went somewhere, just the three of us, they chatted for so long, I almost fell asleep!"

"You can…fall asleep?"

"Of course we can! What do you think we're doing when we have nothing to do?"

"I didn't know ghosts can sleep…"

"Hmmph! Did you know, when you sleep, you're actually making your soul rest?"

"N…No…I thought sleeping is necessary to have—…."

"A body never stops from living before they're dead! A soul needs power to attach to one vessel! If you don't sleep, your soul may lose grip on the vessel, if the soul isn't in there, no one will take care of the body's system—and you might die if you didn't know how to return. I believe you know how long a body can hold itself, right?"

"8 hours before their tendons die completely…"

"We may not have that many hours because the giant fox cannot wait… so that's why, we are not going to wait for Nozomi-nee-chan and Yuki-nee-chan…"

"How are we going to do this then?" Maki asked.

"Just go in and look for anything suspicious… use your ears… I'll catch up when I find the way in."

"…alright then…."

Deeper inside,

Honoka, is carrying the soulless body of her friend as she keeps looking for her. She was told to do it quietly...but….

"Hnng…I wonder where Kotori-chan is… my eyes aren't that good yet…" she said to herself.

"I swear I saw her passing through this wall though…." she mumbled before she tried to enter the room behind the wall.

"Kotori-chan!" she shouted.

No one answered.

"I lost the beast too… if only I could see him, I might be able to see Kotori-chan too…."

She keeps walking around and…

"Pssst…Honoka-chan!" a bird-like voice whispered.

"Eh…Kotori-chan?" Honoka tried to look around,

"N-Not so loud! I'm right here…"

"Where is… here?"

"J-Just….here….!"

"Where…?"

"S-Stop moving! Uh…. I need to synchronize myself to my body…so I can enter back…"

"Ooh…How did you know?"

"I was watching Umi-chan doing it before… I didn't see her soul or hear her, but I heard Maki-chan trying to encourage her to synchronize herself with her body…."

"Aaahh..Ok-ok!"

"Can you please, put my body down…?"

"Ok!" and Honoka dropped her body immediately.

"W-Waah! H-Honoka-chan! Don't be so rude to my body!"

"So…how was it supposed to be?"

"J-Just forget it… uhm… can you please somehow put my body be in a comfortable position? I don't want to try synchronizing to a complex position such as… having my body sleeping on the floor with my hand under my own back and my head tilting in a mysterious way…."

"Oh…Ok…? So…. Standing?" Honoka lifted her body.

"N…No…. that's complex too… I need to hold the position for like 5 minutes, so…. I can't possibly try to stand like that and hold it for 5 minutes…."

"Then…Sitting?" Honoka placed her body to the small chair

"A-Aah! No-no...the chair is too small, my body might fall during the process…"

"So….what should I do….?" Honoka asked.

"Uuuuhhh….well…" Kotori started to think.

* * *

In the hallway,

Maki keeps looking through the hallway, it was all dark and she couldn't see anything but furniture and some childish art-work. Though when she reached the point where she could pick two paths, she could hear a faint bell sound.

"I hear something… are you here now, nine-tail fox?" Maki asked as she keeps walking.

"Tsk…what is this stupid human doing here…." A voice said.

"Huh? Who are you calling stupid?" Maki replied.

"Hmm…interesting, you can hear me talking? Are you part of a royal family?"

"Not quite…. But I hear you anyway…so, show yourself already…"

"Too much energy… I need to save up to catch these idiot bunch of kids…"

"Why are you chasing them…?"

"So that I can guide them to the light—obviously… I'm a guardian, not a mindless predator!"

"How can I trust you?" Maki asked again.

"Listen, I don't care if you don't trust me. We can be enemies if you like, but let me tell you that because a population of idiot kids like them must be stopped from increasing…"

"Stopped…from increasing…?"

"A mischievous little demon has been killing kids and telling them that I was the one who did it! He even told them to stay around and play with their friends—who are gathered by him! I already had enough trouble with the existence of that stupid girl who plays around them at night…"

"You mean…the one that has a split consciousness…"

"Exactly! She was taught by that little demon about how she can do it… but she didn't realize that by the time she split her consciousness, some danger could fall upon her. If she dies in one of her consciousness, then she will die in her other consciousness as well. It's not a safe play!"

"Oh…."

"Sooner or later, the loud noises of these children will bother the living so much…that they will start calling some exorcist…When they do that, that little demon will use them as his shield while he watch them burn in spiritual fire, made by those exorcists…then maybe he will look for more?"

"I guess that's a bad thing…huh?"

"Of course it is! Someone needs to stop that little demon from killing kids… but upsettingly, no one sees it that way because he was able to make them appear in playground accident! This kindergarten has received enough blame…and soon it's going to be closed. Some stupid investor also planned to turn this place into another public area…I can't imagine what that little demon will do to those people! He is good at making souls trust him wholeheartedly…"

"You sound like you have so much trouble…"

"I'm not that witty as a fox, you know… I wasn't able to outwit him…"

Maki could hear a sigh,

"I wasn't born in this kind of era… there are too many things that I cannot grasp… I don't think I can do my job anymore!"

"Hey..now…. let's just forget about that… can you just stop chasing after a friend of mine?"

"That ash brunette? Why? I was just trying to give her a lesson because she made me fail to catch the mischievous master of all children soul…"

"Hanako-chan?"

"Yes! That little brat killed more than a hundred already!"

"Well, she isn't that bad now… things are already changing…so you can stop chasing after her…or trying to harm her…"

"Hmmph….maybe you're being tricked by her right now…"

"Well, she just told me to go ahead because there's a seal placed on the entrance. She is now trying to look for a way in…."

"A seal…. Placed outside? That's something brilliant… now I can just look for this stupid little demon and give him what he deserves…"

"Any idea of how it happened?"

"I wouldn't know…but if what you say is true, then you might want to go ahead and look for your friend. Help her synchronize with body or something and leave… because something really-bad will happen to that little brat and you don't want to hear or see it…"

"Alright… I'll go ahead…." Maki replied.

"Hey… what's your name?" The fox asked.

"Nishikino Maki…" she replied.

"Fine name… my name is Kai the Black Nine-tailed fox… an ex-priest from a very long time ago…if we're meant to be an ally, then we should be…." He said before Maki could hear the bell ring before it started to fade further into the distance.

Back to where Kotori and Honoka is,

"Uhn…Ahh…It's nice to have my body back…" Kotori said as she tried to move her arm around.

"Hehe…it's nice to see you back too!" Honoka said.

"But my head hurts…and …why do I feel aching in a few areas…" Kotori continued as she stretched herself.

"Ehehe…well…..I…I don't know!" Honoka replied as she averted her eyes.

"Also… a few bruises that I don't remember to having…." Kotori said.

"M-Maybe you just don't remember?

"Did you fall somewhere, Honoka-chan?"

"U..Umi-chan did!"

"Umi-chan…? Then…where is she now?"

"S-should be waiting outside, she sprained her ankle…"

"Oh…Umi-chan! Let's go and help her!" Kotori said as she quickly ran to the door—but as she was opening it, Maki was right in front of her and…

"A-aahh!"

The two bumped into each other.

"M-Maki-chan…"

"G..gh… careful next time, ok? I couldn't see you clearly so I can't dodge you…"

"Uwo….Maki-chan, I didn't know you could get here…did you see the beast?"

"I couldn't see him, but I talked to him…"

"Talked…to a beast?" Honoka and Kotori ask.

"Yeah… well… things aren't as what we thought it would be…just like what I suspected…"

"How so?" Kotori ask.

"Hmmm… how to put it… it's just that, those kids we saw before were gathered by one demon—in other words, he killed them one by one and pretend to be their friend…and….the girl who was said to have a splitting consciousness…she might be in danger if she keeps that up…" Maki said.

"A…ah….I…I see…." Kotori and Honoka replied.

"We need to somehow help that beast to explain to the kids that they have to somehow return to the light… this place is not for them…and that demon is not what they see as….."

"But how can we do that….?" Honoka asked.

"I don't know…we should just go out and see what those two can say about this…."

"What about Umi-chan….?" Kotori asked.

"Uh—right…where is she?"

* * *

 **Alright, merry xmas everyone! I hope you have a great day!**


	13. Ch13: Believe and Mercy

**Next chapter~**

 **Thanks to Crimson for edits!**

 **Thanks for reviews/comment/faves/follows!**

* * *

Her eyes are cold,

Her hands are gripping strongly into her own cellphone as she stares into her contacts—

 _Toujou Nozomi._

While her call was recorded over a hundred times in Nozomi's phone…which was probably accidentally left somewhere else to be unheard by the owner.

"Nozomi…. take my calls…will you…." she mumbled before she attempts to call a couple more times with her phone.

It has already been her third spare battery and second power bank from ever since her first call.

"Onee-san…." Her little sister— a blonde just like her, was peeking from behind the door of Eli's the room.

"I'm busy…Alisa!"

"S…Sorry…." the girl replied sadly.

"Stupid….stupid…. why are you not picking up my call…how could I know about where you might be right now…?!" the older blonde said with anger and jealousy.

"Did you do this intentionally…? Is it because I can't give you a better time?"

The younger blonde shook her head, putting all of her courage into her lips…

"Onee-san! It's just for one day! How could you think that way about her?!"

The older blonde was surprised as she heard it—knowing that it came from her younger sister, made her feel really angry but…she does have a point, how can she respond to that?

"You've been her friend for a year, right? So you need to give her your trust…even if it is just for a little bit. Be patient and see for yourself—see if she abandons you for real! I mean...perhaps it's just a misunderstanding, or you're just thinking too much like always! Beside, it's not like you have to be the first everywhere for everything! If she's having more fun by being with the others, why are you trying to force her to hang out just with you? Are you truly her friend?" the younger blonde continued with a high voice.

"You…." Eli frowned,

"Ah…." the younger blonde realized that she may have been a little rude.

"Sorry…" she continued.

Eli still frowning at her,

"I said too much…" the younger blonde finished her apology. The older blonde looks away and sighs,

"I'll just go to her apartment…." She said as she quickly prepares herself.

Alisa remains silent as she stares into her sister who acted so strange, but then again she always acts strange when it comes to Nozomi. It shouldn't be any news to her, though, for some reason, she could feel that her sister is a little too much right now.

* * *

The sky is still dark as there is no light lit around the very street,

Only for that one specific room and now with Nozomi, the Snow girl, Hanako inside…

"Uhm… yeah…I told Maki-nee-chan to go ahead, then I tried to search for a way in but since it was too difficult, I can't even enter the yard and the parking lot! So I called you…."

"I see… the seal is indeed fresh and strangely strong enough to hold one demon…" Nozomi said.

"For what reason though?" The Snow Girl ask,

"I wouldn't know… I've never been in this place before…" Nozomi said.

"E-Eh? But it's like the most popular kindergarten in the area! I often pay a visit here!" Hanako said.

"I didn't attend this school, I was somewhere—away from this country…" Nozomi replied.

"Oh…how is it…in another country?"

"Nothing special other than that their environment looks so much more different than this country…but if you're talking about the spiritual level—well…that's a whole different case. In every country, they always have their sacred places…I used to be in an abandoned cathedral, you know…it was so strange because the souls were acting different…"

"How different?" Hanako asked.

"How do I put it…the western souls tend to make an appearance but rarely make social contact with those who see them, though some that do are just furious or lonely…the south eastern, they tends to haunt things, but never clear about what they truly intend to do….there's also some Scandinavian souls—I swear I heard them yelling all day and act so happy…or some are just grumpy and starts bashing randomly….but seriously, they're just different…"

"I see… maybe we should try go out sometime, Yuki-nee-chan!"

"Ok! Let's just look at that place called airport and follow someone later!"

"Ok!"

"Hnn…I guess that's the best thing about being dead…" Nozomi said.

"Yup! Hehe! The bad thing is when they somehow have some priest on the plane… I used to try that but he attempted to exorcise me right when I got in there…"

"Uh…You have a pretty good luck then…" Nozomi said.

"Speaking of which, you two! We need to go deeper somehow, instead of staying in this room!" Hanako said.

"Eh…alright, but what are we going to do inside? I feel like they can do it…" Nozomi said.

"Yeah… I think they're all fine so far…" the snow girl said.

"Sheesh! Can you at least check?!"

"Hmm..well..I think I can just try calling them…" Nozomi tried to look for her phone in her pocket.

But….

"Eh…?" she raises her eyebrow, and then tried to remember where she put her phone…

"Crap, I left my phone in my bag!" Nozomi said.

"Uhm…so…that means?"

"We should just look for them, alright!" Nozomi said eagerly before she ran into the hallway.

* * *

Meanwhile,

"Umi-chaaann!" Kotori shouted as she keeps walking around the school's kitchen,

"Oi…Umi-senpai…" Maki shouted as well while looking around each classroom near the kitchen.

"Umi-chaaaaaaann!" Honoka shouted too as she looks around the yard near the kitchen

None of them were getting an answer….

"Weird… she should've been around…" Honoka said.

"I wonder if she might've gone there…" Kotori said.

"There…?" Honoka tilts her head.

"Do you remember the parking lot?" Kotori asked.

"Oh…right…that place, Umi often played with the rabbit there!"

"But…why is she there?" Maki asked.

"Uh…maybe…just for the sake of being nostalgic?" Kotori replied.

"Maybe…." Honoka said.

"Let's just head there then… we should just need to go a few meters from the yard, right?" Kotori said.

"Alright…"

As they're about to leave through the yard, Nozomi, The Snow Girl and Hanako goes into the kitchen…

"Ah…what a finding!" Nozomi said.

The trio turns around and comes face-to-face with each other.

"Nozomi-senpai!" they said together.

"I forgot to bring my cellphone, so I guess now I have to stick around with you all…"

"Ehehe…you came at a good time!" Kotori said.

"Really? But looks like you're fine already…am I too late for the party?" Nozomi smiled,

"Nope, we're going to find Umi-chan now… then we can go home…" Honoka said.

"Go home? Then about our previous mission…?" Nozomi tried to confirm.

"I actually already texted you the whole story, but…since you left your phone…I guess I will have to tell you again…." Maki said with a sigh.

* * *

Toujou's apartment, night time;

Eli stood in front of the door of the room, knowing thats where her friend lives. She was about to knock on the door—just like how every guest should.

Though something came up to her mind…she could hear herself talking… to herself…or perhaps she could also say that a lesson was being taught as she remains in silence…

But who taught her? She wondered.

She is very sure that no one has been speaking for her—it was all herself.. her voice…her mind…her heart…

Either way, there's one part of her that says—she could just enter the very place. Ignore the fact that she was supposed to knock the door politely.

She placed her fingers on the metallic wooden door, then for some reason, she thought, she could just sink it in like it has never existed before...

 _Is it truly possible?_

She thought.

 _Maybe…_

She speaks to herself before she actually sank her hand in.

Has she mastered something else tonight?

She thought that it was scary of her to be able to learn such a thing without anyone guiding her. It's like the knowledge itself flows inside her—putting aside all logical thought she always had.

She goes through the door—finding herself inside and no doubt about being where she is supposed to be when she goes through the very door. Then she tried to check on the door itself and see if it was locked—well, it is indeed locked tightly.

She smiled to herself, satisfied to accomplish something impossible. Can she even talk about this with anyone? Even to Nozomi?

Can she truly be trusted or perhaps it's not about the trust that she should worry about?

She decided to think about it later and now start looking for someone she wants to meet with. Perhaps also confront as to why she didn't pick up her calls...

Eli moves through the rooms—and not through the door just to make sure she can do that over and over. She tried to keep looking but she couldn't find her anywhere in any of the rooms until she decided to look for her cellphone by calling her once again.

She could hear the cellphone from inside her school bag, and then finding her usual coat left behind as well. But when she tried to look for the mission-bag, she couldn't find it hanging in the usual place. She also sees that Nozomi brought the sketchbook that they made together.

Did she bring that to do the mission with the others?

There's something gripping so painfully inside her heart. Perhaps she could say that it feels so unfair that she wasn't invited for tonight's adventure. Maybe part of it was her fault for telling her that they're supposed to be busy doing something else…

In her mind, she knows that she didn't lie about they're "supposed to be busy schedule" with something else, they have a big responsibility on their shoulders and Nozomi decided to forget—or at least, put all the burden to her. She believes that Nozomi promised to help her after school, but she didn't return to do her work and forced her to do everything on her own.

It's really troublesome, but…now she asks herself. She likes to get things done—or be with someone who could get things done… why did she fall in love with someone who is too lazy to get things done? Will she have to do some scolding tomorrow? Will she take it seriously?

Will their friendship disappear just because of that?

She knows well that Nozomi could just say that she never has any passion in becoming part of the student council and it was her that dragged her into it…

But to remember the whole history, it was Nozomi first who brought her into it and the principal was no different as she was also the first one to bring on the idea. She can blame her—she can demand for responsibility…

Yet...for some reason, she just wants to put everything aside and think of what making her angry at this very moment. Is it truly because she was being forgotten? Or she could've just called it as an intentional betrayal?

It's been a year for them to be best friends with each other, until the others came into their life? Or perhaps she could just say that it's going to be just another year for their friendship to last? Is it a sign that Nozomi is probably tired of her?

She knows that a lot of people will never like someone like her for real. She can only be appreciated for her looks—and she always thinks her beauty as a curse.

 _You_ _'_ _re thinking too much._

A sentence that she remember to be often spoken by her best friend—or an ex-best-friend-to-be…

Is she truly thinking too much?

Or is it just her way to make her less suspicious about her?

Can she really think of her as a best friend?

All that anxiety is making her feel so uncomfortable. Maybe she should just look at Nozomi's phone and see if her calls actually came through —or maybe if there's a clue about what Nozomi is up to.

When she checked, she could see about 180 missed calls from herself—which she embarrassedly deleted the notification. Then she also could see a text message from Maki. She decided to open it—planning to mark it as unread later and send her another text message to make her think that no one has touched her phone.

When she reads the text—she raises her eyebrow as well, starting to understand what they're currently up to right now.

Without her knowing, she was also being watched by the creature that has never been seen by anyone but some—the woman in black dress who has been watching her over and over. Carrying the prayer beads on her hand, then with a beautiful yet mischievous smile, she followed Eli who has done everything she wanted to do and leave the place in ease with her newly discovered ability.

* * *

The Kindergarten parking lot,

It might not be a big place since it's usually used for the teacher's to park their vehicles, but it's big enough for one beast to stand, a living teenage girl and a soul of a boy to face each other.

The beast is wounded in his back—with a spiritual arrow stuck on his back, one that was shot by the teenage girl as she faced him bravely, knowing nothing about what he spoke toward the little boy who acted scared behind her.

"Please, Umi-nee-san! Our future is in your hands!" he begged.

Umi frowns deeper as she looks into the wounded beast—who seemed to be not fighting back against her as she aims her arrow at him.

She feels wrong doing this. The beast is wounded—yet he didn't fight her back. What kind of warrior tries to gain a victory from those who don't fight back…

The only thing she could think of—if she let that spiritual arrow off, the beast will either die or dodge her arrow and take the chance to attack her…

But from three attempts, the beast has only tried to fight back on the first shot and none other...

"Umi-chaan!" said a voice that sounded like a chirping bird,

"Kotori…?" Umi lets her arrow down as she noticed that a few people are coming to where she is standing,

Unexpectedly, the beast jumped and bit the small boy behind her—causing Umi to panic and step back a couple feet, gathering enough range to shoot quick arrows towards him—giving the beast more wound on his soul.

"No! Umi-chan! Stop!" Kotori quickly ran and held her back.

"But…Kotori…." She pauses as she looks into the begging eyes of the ash brunette.

"This is a misunderstanding! He isn't evil at all! He is the guardian of this place!" Honoka said as she approaches Umi.

"…but…the kids…." Umi turns her gaze to the boy who is bitten.

Nozomi, Maki, the Snow Girl, and Hanako stood in line. Nozomi prepared herself for a battle.

"Show yourself, tricky demon! I'm ready to fight you!" she said.

By the time Nozomi said that, the boy grab ones of the arrows on the kyuubi's back and pulls it out just to stab it back again on his head—causing the beast to dissolve into fading powder of lights.

Umi was so surprised by the act, but now she realizes that she has been tricked to do the evil deed.

"No! Kai-san!" Maki shouted.

The Kyuubi is no more—and the small boy…gets up in ease as he shows the most mischievous smile towards them.

"That was honestly fun…" he said.

"But at least now you took down one trouble for me…Sonoda Umi…" the boy said.

"Y…you…!" Umi quickly aimed her spiritual arrow at him—a quick shot that was dodged easily.

"Hah—now you're using the skill I taught you to fight me? What an ungrateful human…"

Umi bit her lips,

Nozomi took a notice to that,

"Don't be discouraged, Umi-chan, if your heart tells you to fight your own teacher—do it. They have no right to control your feelings…"

"Have anyone taught you to become an imbecile like her?" the boy said as she points to Nozomi,

Umi still remains quiet.

"Your job was just to get rid of that beast—and you've done it. So now you can go home in peace… why do you have to waste your time for everything that's going to happen now?"

"Hey—Umi-senpai. Listen up, You have all the right to attack him, because you know what? He killed those kids who are now some straying souls…"

Umi's eyes lit up with anger as the words processed in her head, and then her eyes turn to the demon boy,

"Hnn…that's true, but are you really going to use what I taught you to fight me?" The boy said,

Umi gloomed again,

"Then, why don't you just teach me how you can make spiritual weapons while I will teach you how to use spiritual elemental powers?" Nozomi asked. Umi quickly turns her eyes to Nozomi, who seemed to be very interested in the idea.

The demon frowned as he heard it,

"As witty as you are—Toujou Nozomi! Maybe everyone was right about you being the biggest threat to our kind!"

"Wow, you know me? That's a surprise…."

A moment after, the boy started to burn himself in dark fire—slowly turning into an ogre-like creature with a bow and arrow as his weapon and light armored body and arms...

"Watch out!" The Snow girl shouted before she casted a spiritual ice barrier to protect everyone from the black fire blast that came out from the demon. It followed with a powerful wind that started to mess up everything around the place.

Umi and Nozomi quickly tried to reach other as the rest tried their best to endure the wind—The Snow girl kept renewing the barrier every second.

"No one is going to learn anything else today!" The Ogre said with his loud voice as he takes an arrow, aiming it at Nozomi.

"Just ignore him, tell me how do you use spiritual weapons!" Nozomi said,

A huge arrow was nearly going to land right on top of Nozomi—yet she swiftly grabs Umi's hands and spins themselves like a dancing couple,

"W-why are we doing this?!" Umi asked in her protest.

"Ericchi and I always do this when we need to talk with each other while dodging attacks…"

"W-what?! Eli-senpai will be mad if she knows!"

"Don't worry, she isn't looking right now…just teach me already"

"We..well..uh..are you…sure?"

"You want to fight him right? It will only be a fair trade if you teach me and I'll teach you…"

"Alright…so…."

Umi started to explain nervously. Her face blushes from Nozomi moving their body swiftly, dodging all the ogre's attack.

"T...that's…how they always did things?" Maki asked in surprise.

"Yeah, I'm so jealous…" The Snow Girl said as she keeps herself busy with the barrier as the dark flames keep trying to reach them.

"M-Me too!" Kotori pouts.

"Not to be offensive…but for some reason, when I imagine Nozomi-senpai and Eli-senpai doing something like that, they look really gay…" Maki said.

"Uh…you mean, they look like a real couple?" Kotori asked.

"Yeah…" Maki said.

"What about now though?" Honoka asked,

"They look so-so! I could've been the one who in there!" Kotori said.

"F-Forget about the looks! Can you all move?! I can't do this forever!" The snow girl complained.

"O-Of course!" the other said.

"Make a far distance and try to look for an open space so you can dodge those arrows…"

"Wait…open space?" Maki ask.

"Yes! Those arrows can't touch physical things, but it could touch a soul—in other words, if you are touched by it, your soul may be destroyed while your body will remain untouched…" Hanako explained.

"Skip the explanation! Just do it!" The Snow girl shouted before the rest of them started to run creating a distance between them and the arrows—which is completely ignored by the ogre, but it at least makes the Snow Girl able to stop spending her power and fly to where Umi and Nozomi is.

"How is it, you two?" The Snow Girl ask,

"It's pretty simple, kind of almost alike with my usual power…" Nozomi said.

"Yes… I think I can do this instantly…" Umi said.

"Great…now, to beat this guy, you need to somehow make distraction, split up and don't fall!" The snow girl said.

"Got it…."

"You're being useful as usual, Yuki-chan!" Nozomi said before she spins away—releasing herself from Umi…

"I know, Nozomi-chan!" The snow girl said with a giggle,

"Haaat!" Umi already started casting an element out of herself— freezing ice bolts into the demon, which is parried by his armored muscular arm.

"This should be my turn…hm…what weapon could I use…? Hmm…" Nozomi remains quiet for a moment until an idea flashes her mind,

"Oh—right! This should be good!" she continued as she spawns cards in her hands.

"Spiritual cards!"

"W-what? What is the use of that?! Nozomi-chan?" The snow girl asks desperately,

"Will be used like this!" she started to throw them at the demon—and when it hits him, the cards start to explode into some lesser spiritual fires. At the last card thrown, a huge spiritual fire exploded on him.

"Ooh—it works…" Nozomi said.

"W-wow…how did you….?" the snow girl look at her in awe,

"Hehe—with a little creativity of course…Plus, I'm much cooler with cards than arrows, right?"

"Hhnn...surely nice to be you—I wonder how your funny little head actually works…"

"It's complicated, but I'll tell you the hint later…"

"Hehe—sure thing…!" the snow girl said.

Then a big hammer suddenly knocked down close to them—Nozomi and the Snow girl quickly dodged,

"You imbecile souls! I'll show you who's the real me!" the ogre said loudly.

Then a few icy arrows flies at him.

"…and I'll show you who's your true enemy!" Umi glared at the demon.

"Woo…that's brave…Umi-chan…" Nozomi said teasingly.

"F-Focus, Senpai!"

* * *

Meanwhile,

"Is….is this far enough?" Honoka asked.

"I'm pretty sure we're safe for now…looks like he changed his weapon to a hammer…" Hanako said.

"I wonder if they're fine…I'm really worried!" Kotori said.

"hey…do you all hear something?" Maki asked.

"Hear what?" they asked Maki,

"Children…I hear them crying…" Maki replied.

"W-Where…?" they asked,

Maki turns her sight around, and then sighs,

"I'll just follow the sound, you all follow me, ok? But be quiet…."

"…O…ok!" Honoka replied with a loud whisper.

They slowly move to a small building—which appears to be a security post that has never been used. They can tell from all the dust on top of it.

But now that they're much closer, they could hear a few children talking with each other,

"I can't believe Kazuo is actually a demon that I've seen before! This is so scary! He might eat us all!" said a boy between his cry.

"Hanayo-nee-chan! Where are you?" said a girl in her cry.

"She is now nowhere to be found, could she be stuck somewhere else around here?" said the other boy.

"I saw her fading in the sky before, then a seal seemed to surround this place, it's like someone has planned to trap us all here with the demon…we can't even enter the school building to ask for help from the beast who said to be trying to help us before…"

"Can that beast be trusted? Kazuo said, he is mean and will try to eat us!"

"That beast warned me about Kazuo before, and he was right! Besides, he never tried to chase us before, he only chased after Kazuo!"

"It makes me regret to not trust him…"

"Me too…I wish we trusted him before…."

The kids sobbed, until they started to cry again. By then, Hanako approached them gently,

"Stop crying… my friends are trying to defeat the demon right now!" she said.

The kids look at her, there's a hint of hope lights up in their eyes, but soon turns sad again,

"But that demon is immortal, there's no way for someone could kill him, because his temple is buried deep under this school. We all have defiled the beast's temple and replaced it with his…we were told that it was to prevent the demon from being angry with us…"

"Then, we all just need to defile his temple, right?"

"Oh—that's right, maybe that will work!" a boy said as he stopped his crying immediately.

"Wait! Hanayo-nee-chan told us to wait here!" the crying girl said,

"But we've been waiting for her now! She didn't show up!"

"Again—she might be stuck somewhere!" The boy said.

"What kind of stuck may that be?" The girl asks.

"I don't know! But I've seen it before, a boy that was taught about how to split his consciousness, he is still treated like a wandering soul and if the seal is on, he will never be able to go anywhere but stay inside…which caused him stay for too long until his body died… and turned him into a real ghost!"

"That's bad! Hanayo-nee-chan still has so many things to do with her life!" the girl said innocently.

"We have to find her first!"

"No! We have to defile the temple first to weaken him!"

"No!"

Then the kids started to argue.

"Now-now, everyone!" Hanako shouted,

The kids look at her,

"We will just split the team… maybe we all can just defile the temple while my friends look for Hanayo-nee-chan!" Hanako said.

"Ok! Then we should go ahead!" the kids said before all of them flies down to the earth.

"W-wait! " Hanako said before she catches up with them.

"O-Oi! Wait! We don't know how Hanayo looks like!" Maki said.

"Don't worry, Maki-chan! I've see her before!" Honoka said.

"yep, I think I saw her too!" Kotori said.

"E…erh….alright…so…how does this person look?" Maki asked.

"She has short brown hair and pink eyes, that's all that I know!" Kotori said.

"Yeah! She is a little chubby on her cheeks too! Very adorable one!" Honoka said.

Maki sighs,

"Then how are we supposed to—…" she pauses as she could hear something in the far distance. It sounded like someone was shouting to ask for help.

"What's wrong, Maki-chan?" Honoka asked,

"Uh…I heard someone shouting for help…"

"Then…might that be Hanayo-chan?!" Kotori asked.

"Maybe…. I'll just follow the voice."

* * *

At the other side of the surface,

Umi and Nozomi were still working hard to fight the demon from both sides, along with the snow girl's help, they were able to exhaust him, but he clearly isn't very easy to kill—or at least, it feels like something is still holding his life.

"Die and be my food, human!" the demon said as he swings his hammer again—which was also dodged again by the two fighters.

"He just won't die…" Umi said.

Nozomi frowned as she held her cards,

"I wonder if I can just seal him…" she mumbled to herself which was heard by the snow girl,

"It won't work, he is holding onto his life with an artifact, it should be somewhere around here!" The snow girl said.

"Now, you made me think that perhaps we should retreat for now…" Nozomi said.

"We can't…I saw something else surrounding this area!" The snow girl said.

"Hahaha… you noticed it, what a sharp eyed soul! Perhaps if I eat you, I'll have those eyes?!" the demon said with his loud voice.

"I am a legendary soul, you're just a mere Archer demon… our rank clearly makes you impossible to have me…" the snow girl said.

"Really?!" the demon shouted happily before he blasts his dark fire—the snow girl quickly sets up a barrier for everyone, but at the same time she was closing her eyes to prevent the light from blind her, a giant hand swings to her—grabbing her body at ease.

"Unhand her, you filthy Ogre!" Nozomi throws all the cards in her hands quickly,

But between the dust created from the wind, another hand comes up and grabs Nozomi as well. She didn't have the chance to dodge as everything was too fast for her focus to grasp.

"Senpai!" Umi panicked,

"Ha—Ha—Ha! Now you're in my hand too, Toujou Nozomi. I'll be getting a lot of bounty from killing you!"

"Bounty?!" Nozomi exclaimed,

The snow girl was also surprised as she hears it.

The ogre smiles and immediately tries to put Nozomi into his big mouth—though Umi immediately summoned a spiritual katana—a very long one,

"You're—…." She pulled out her katana,

"Not—….!" She put all power into her trusty blade,

"Going to have her!" she shouted as she roughly swings her katana, creating a powerful cold wind that slashes the ogre's body in half.

The ogre stopped his act—then looks down to his waist,

"Hah— now you used my teaching to attack me after all!" the ogre said,

"My pride is nothing compared to her life… she is my friend and I will not allow you to eat her!" Umi said,

Nozomi is still in his hand, but he loosens his grip slightly when he focuses on fixing his waist—which recovered in almost an instant. With just in a matter of time, she pulls her hands out and throws some cards towards him, exploding them near his eyes before she jumps off his hand that releases her to grab his own eyes.

"M-My eyes!" he said.

Nozomi landed on the roof of a nearby building, and then jumps down to the ground.

"I see now why you're still a common archer demon, you're lacking the focus of your own powers…" Nozomi said.

The snow girl was also able to release herself, the moment the ogre tried to pick up his hammer that he kept on his back, Umi already jumped up into the air—with the long katana in her hand, storming down mercilessly along with the icy winds.

"Hnmh…. Don't you realize that I'll never—…" the ogre pauses as another slash is made. Then he began to realize that he was starting to dissolve to dark dust…

"W-what happen?! How could I….?!" he tried to stop himself from dissolving.

"No! I cannot die! My temple?! Who defiled it?!" he shouted in denial.

He tried to grip onto the ground, but he couldn't even touch it.

Nozomi, Umi and the Snow girl could see the demon starting to sink into a small ogre that didn't even look intimidating enough to be called as a demon.

"Eh…wow….so...he was actually a small demon?" Umi said.

"Looks like he gained some nice upgrade from doing all the mischief…." The Snow Girl said.

"Is it possible for one little demon to turn that big? I never expected that…" Nozomi commented.

"With effort, of course… that's why you shouldn't slack off in your training…" the Snow Girl said.

"I'm not slacking, I'm just taking my time…" Nozomi replied.

The snow girl sighed,

"Anyway, what should we do to the demon now?" Umi asked as she could see the demon turning into a kid-sized creature. He looks puny as well.

The three girls remain quiet as they keep looking at how the demon started to get his consciousness back.

"Hmm…maybe we can play with him for a bit?" Nozomi smiled mischievously.

"P-play…!?"

* * *

Meanwhile, in the underground;

"I think we've done it! Hanako-chan you're awesome!" said a girl

"Really? Thanks!" Hanako said cheerfully.

"We finished within a second or two, I think we should start our agency of defiling temples!" said a boy.

"We should play some more before returning to the surface…!"

"Ok! Let's play around for a bit!" Hanako said happily.

* * *

In a further area…

"Someone, please helppp!" Shouted a girl with short hair—who was heard by Maki in a much closer distance and immediately, Maki ran up to her.

"W-whoa, Maki-chan! Wait for us!" Honoka said as she runs to catch up with her, followed by Kotori.

Maki already arrived to a small temple, a very small one and it looks like it will only fit one person.

"I'm out of breath! I'm going be out of breath! Someone please get me out of here!" shouted the short haired girl again from the inside of the small temple,

"Wait!" Maki said as she quickly looks around—she could only see a few dead branches, some average sized rocks and some worthless looking grass on the muddy soil.

"S-someone is out there?!" the voice sounds surprised,

"Yeah… hang in there, ok? I'll take you out…" Maki said as she quickly picks up the average sized rock, and hits it on the small temple very roughly—breaking the corner of the wall, creating a fist sized hole.

"B-Becareful! I'm still inside!" said the panicked girl.

"I know…" Maki said as she drops the rock and uses her hand to break open the temple from the fist sized hole, the wooden walls seemed to be very weakly built and she is able to break it off with just a little effort.

Kotori and Honoka seemed to be very amazed as they see how Maki breaks open the temple to release a soul of a girl with short hair…

Maki couldn't see anything, but Honoka and Kotori could…

"W-wah…Maki-chan…. she is free now!" Kotori said.

"Huh? Really? I can't see…." Maki said.

"I'm right here…but either way! Thank you so much! I need to return as soon as possible because I may pass my eight hours of leaving my main consciousness if I don't go now…so…bye!" the soul said before she floats away.

"Sh…she is gone…" Honoka said.

"Yeah…" Kotori said.

"I still see nothing…but…eh…I guess I heard her anyway…" Maki said.

"Maki-chan, you saved someone! That's awesome!" Honoka said.

"I..it's not like you didn't! You saved a soul too before…" Maki replied while blushing.

"Hehe..yup! I guess Christoper must have been really happy when he walked to his door…" Kotori said.

"Yeah! Hehehe…" Honoka scratches her head shyly.

"I wonder how she ended up here though…." Kotori said.

"I don't know either…." Honoka replied.

"I wonder if I can meet her later…" Maki said.

"Oh…Maki-chan, are you interested in her?" Honoka asked.

"H-Huh?! What? Interested…? No way! Why would I get interested in someone I have never seen before?!"

"Uhnm…Honoka-chan, I guess her interest should be that senpai…"

"Senpai…?" Honoka tilts her head,

"Yeah..that small and angry senpai…" Kotori said.

"W-what?! No way I'm interested on Niko-senpai! She just keeps getting in my way!"

"Ok?" Kotori replied with full of doubt,

"B-believe me, will you?!"

"How did you know her name? We don't know her name…" Honoka replied.

"W-what?!" Maki frowned deeply.

"Yeah…I never knew her name either…I just saw them arguing at the festival…"

"S-Shut up!"

* * *

Back to the small demon,

Nozomi binds the demon to a spiritual post with her spiritual sealing papers, Umi is right in front of him, with spiritual bow and arrow in her hands and a tie covering her eyes.

"P-please! Spare my life! I will not bother the kindergarteners again!" the little demon begged.

"Shush….you're no one to talk…" Nozomi said.

"I'm not sure if it's a good thing to do this…" the Snow Girl said,

"We're going to decide with this…" Nozomi replied to the snow girl with a playful smile,

"Listen, demon… you've made me kill a guardian beast…I'm not going to forgive you for that!" Umi said.

"I-I'm sorry! Really! I'm really sorry!" the demon started to cry.

"Now-now, if you somehow survive this shot, you will be spared and free—in one condition!" Nozomi said.

"What condition?" the demon asked,

"I want you to replace the beast—which means, you're not going to kill kids again, but you will guard them!"

"I can do that, for sure!" the demon replied.

"But that still only if you somehow survive…" Nozomi said.

"Oh no!" The demon cried again.

"My aiming is perfect most of the time, even if I'm blindfolded…so don't get your hopes up…" Umi said with her tough voice.

The demon cringed,

"Now…you can do it, Umi-chan…." Nozomi said as she makes distance.

"May the lucky God speak through!" The snow girl prayed.

"Alright… I'll do it…." Umi said before she let out a sigh to relieve herself, she positioned her arrow in the middle of the bow and pulls it back the string….

 _So this is where luck speaks, huh?_

Nozomi thought.

 _For some reason, Umi-chan really reminds me of a specific someone when she is serious like this_ _…_

 _But I suppose she isn_ _'_ _t really my type_ _…_

 _Weird_ _…_

 _I thought I could_ _'_ _ve fallen in love with her too_ _…_

 _With those powerful eyes and voice..._

 _And those sturdy feminine muscles_ _…_

 _Maybe they were right about Ericchi being attractive because of who she is_ _…_

 _A nine tailed fox that's always ready to lure its victim_ _…_

 _But again, why did my heart beating so fast when I start thinking about her_ _…_ _I believe it_ _'_ _s not simply because of an attraction_ _… I_ _'_ _m always attracted to girls but she is truly different to me!_

She watched Umi squint her eyes to gain her focus.

 _Look at those merciless eyes_ _…._

 _It_ _'_ _s like her looks could kill_ _…._

She thought again as she saw the arrow being pulled a little further, then adjusted slightly…

 _Merciless_ _…._

She speaks to herself.

 _We are_ _…_ _.merciless_ _….._

She speaks again…

 _But we shouldn_ _'_ _t be merciless.._

 _We promised that we will learn together_ _…._

 _Learning about how to socialize with others through communicating with each other_ _…_

 _Understanding_ _…_

 _And…._

 _Giving chances for each other_ _…._

Nozomi could see the arrow is going to be launched soon.

 _No… I can_ _'_ _t kill this demon_ _…_ _I want to give him a mercy!_

 _I have to stop being merciless starting from doing this to others!_

She said to herself before she quickly moves as Umi releases her arrow. Nozomi turns his head down in an instant—allowing his close to be stabbed head to dodge the arrow that almost hit his forehead.

The snow girl was surprised to witness it and the demon also realized that he was given mercy.

When Umi was going to unfold her blindfold, Nozomi quickly makes distance—back to where she stood before or at least a little further from the demon itself.

"Ah….you missed, Umi-chan… that's too bad…" Nozomi said.

"Y…you're right…then I guess you're given mercy…" Umi said.

The demon looks into Umi in awe—then turns his grateful eyes to Nozomi…

"Promise is a promise, got it?" The snow girl said to the demon as she watches Nozomi approach the demon and releases him from the binds.

"I—I will swear! I will guard the kids! Thank you so much! Then maybe, I will also look for another beast to guard them from a bigger threat!" the little demon said happily.

Somehow, it moved Nozomi as she sees how grateful the demon is when given pardon…

Perhaps, it isn't a bad thing to give such thing to someone who've wronged her and realizes their mistake… fortunately, she could feel their happiness as well…

The demon quickly runs away with eager steps, he might have gone off to look for a guardian beast now…or…just to look for some place to set up his plan.

"Now…that he seems happy, I guess I'm glad you missed…" the snow girl said to Umi.

"His God still loves him…" Umi said.

"Yep… God still loves everyone…" Nozomi added.

"Umi-chaaan! Nozomi-chaaan!" Honoka shouted from a distance before she runs to approach them, followed by Maki and Kotori.

"Are you all done?" Maki asked as she goes closer to them,

"Maki-chan just did something great! She saved a soul of the girl we saw before!" Honoka said.

"H-hey! My question first!" Maki protested for being interrupted,

"How?" Nozomi ignored the red haired girl,

"Long story! But basically, we found her in a small temple close to this place…" Kotori said.

"Ahh…that must've been a temple built by that little demon to capture a soul…it won't work for a guardian beast, but will work for a mere soul…" the snow girl said.

"I wonder why he built that there…" Honoka asked,

"Where did you find that anyway…?" Nozomi asked,

"It's a little further from the school, behind some trees and bushes—I have to say the place is pretty well hidden…" Maki said.

"Hmm… maybe he built that to capture souls of the kids he killed?" Umi asked.

"We wouldn't know…but let's just think that this case is over…" Nozomi said.

"Wait…what about the kids?" Kotori asked.

"Just leave that to Hanako-chan… I believe she will understand the best for them…" The snow girl said.

"Oh…ok then!"

* * *

Midnight is almost over,

The sky is still dark and everyone has returned to each of their own homes except for Nozomi who's still on the way to returning to her own apartment.

When she was much closer to her door, she could feel someone walking behind her—causing her to quickly turn around.

At first, she was tense and has prepared herself to fight, but when she looks back, there seems to be no one there. Knowing that it might just be her feelings—or perhaps it could be a sign of danger, she hurried into her apartment.

After she set her feet to the room, she made sure that there's nothing strange in her home. She checked every corner—then continued to her room to find her cellphone placed on top of her bed.

Did she place it there before? She couldn't really remember doing so…but it's on top of her bed and the door was locked. There couldn't possibly be anyone entering her place…unless it's a spiritual being…

Now that she mentions that possibility, she quickly checks on her seal—which was still strongly attached to her wall and it looks as old as she thought it should be.

Perhaps it's just a warning for her to renew it?

Either way, she decided to head to her school bag to pick up some sealing paper from one of the sockets. When she was doing so, her phone suddenly turned on to show a notification.

She opened it and found that the text from Maki was still there unread, there was also a text from Honoka but she ignored it as she saw a text from Eli. which said:

 _Had fun?_

The text ended there.

She wondered if it's the one thing that makes her feel uncomfortable. Just from the sentence itself, she feels like Eli is unhappy about her going away without her.

But what can she say?

She swears Eli said that she was busy… and Nozomi went without her….

Though there's this feeling that she gets when she remembers her…

She should've helped her with student council work in the afternoon before…

But she didn't return to school to do it…instead, she was busy with training and chatting with the others. If she apologizes now… will she be upset instead?

Nozomi shook her head, and decided to just answer what was asked,

 _I wish you were there to enjoy with us_ _…_

She wrote.

Expecting it to be replied tomorrow, Nozomi places down her phone as she lays herself on the bed—still with what she wore when she left.

Though within a second, her phone shows another notification.

 _Hnnmm…_ _is that Ericchi_ _…?_

She thought as she opens the text...

It's really from Eli,

 _She hasn_ _'_ _t sleep at this hour? I wonder what she is doing_ _…_

 _I hope it_ _'_ _s not the student council work_ _…_

She said in her mind as she started to look at her text.

It says,

… _and I wish you came up and help me out_ _…_ _you promised._

The text ended there.

With that, she quickly writes her response.

She knows well that an apology will not satisfy the blonde, another promise will make things worse, and playing a joke out of it will surely cause her to get in trouble…

 _What should I do?_

She wondered.

 _Maybe…_ _changing the topic is the best way_ _…._

She nodded to herself before she writes,

 _Should we go on a date tomorrow?_

She sent the text and waited for a moment.

Eli replied in almost an instant,

 _Why are you changing the topic_ _…_ _and you_ _'_ _re not_ _even_ _my_ _girlfriend_ _…_

Nozomi chuckled,

 _Well, that's just going to strengthen my point, we SHOULD go on a date._

She replied as she keeps staring at her phone screen.

For a moment there, Nozomi thought she was going to text back again, but instead of a text, a call came in through her phone…

Nozomi accepted the call in a blink of an eye then sets her voice to the gentlest one possible…

"Good evening, Ericchi…." she greeted first.

"We're not going to a date…" Eli replied immediately.

"You're calling me just to tell me that?"

"I just want to make sure that you get it… I'm serious about that." Eli replied again.

"Then, what if I change it like, Ericchi, do you want to go on a date with me tomorrow…?"

"I told you, we're not going on a date tomorrow… we have—"

"There's only yes or no, Ericchi… if you want to hang out with me, we should go on a date tomorrow…" Nozomi replied again.

"Is that your way to tell me that you only want to hang out with me if we're going on a date tomorrow?"

"Maybe—but I didn't think it that far… I have no plans tomorrow, but surely, those kids will ask me to go for some hunting…like today…"

"You're blackmailing me…" Eli said.

"What do you mean blackmailing? It's not like our friendship is over just because we don't hang out for a day or two… we don't have to stick together every minute, right?"

"…you're saying that you're going to hang out with them if we are not going to a date…"

"Hnmm…I didn't even mean it that way…but Ericchi, are you jealous?" Nozomi asked.

There was a moment of pause before the blonde replied with a hint of doubt in her voice.

"No…."

"Are you sure you're not jealous?"

"I'm sure… I just want to tell you that we have work tomorrow, be a little more responsible, will you?" Eli replied.

"I know, I really will do everything you ask tomorrow, president…"

"So we don't have to go on a date…right?" Eli replied.

"What are you saying, we're on a date to work tomorrow…"

"I don't understand you…"

"Don't sweat over the details… just remember that I will certainly work tomorrow…" Nozomi replied with a chuckle in her voice.

"You promised…"

And the phone hangs up.

Nozomi sighs heavily as she puts her phone down again.

 _What are you trying achieve, Ericchi_ _… it_ _'_ _s so complicated_ _…._

She said to herself.

 _I feel like you wanted to be close, but I also feel like you_ _'_ _re making a distance as well_ _…_

 _Are you trying to tell me_ _…_

 _Stay close to me but don_ _'_ _t be so close?_

 _Or like_ _…_

 _I want to be closer with you but I don_ _'_ _t want you to get closer to me_ _…?_

 _Or maybe it_ _'_ _s more like_ _…_

 _Be closer to_ _me…_ _but don'_ _t be too close_ _…_

 _Then how far is the distance we should make?_

* * *

Meanwhile,

In the kindergarten,

The little demon was working hard to build a new temple near the kindergarten while some kids appeared from the ground. Hanako led the group to the surface saying,

"Alright, that's it for tonight! If you want to play again, we should do it next time around this hour too!"

"Can we just pay a visit to you, Hanako-chan?" the girl asked,

"Hmm..sure! But you have to pass through the light…"

"Pass through…the light…?" the kids wondered.

"Hehe, just give up everything you own in this world, tell yourself that you're going to move on… once you do that, you will see a door to the light…"

"What's behind the door?" A boy asked.

"Everything that will make you happy! But again… if you want it, you have to forget everything you have in this world!"

"Ah…I see…" the kids nodded.

"Then, we should just say that…to him…" a girl said.

"Yeah! Let's say that…"

"Good luck, everyone!" Hanako said before she waves goodbye to the kids and leaves.

The kids hurried themselves towards the demon . It's pretty clear about what he is trying to do since his temple looked like a temple for a guardian beast instead of anything else.

"Hey! Little Archer demon!" said a kid as he runs into the little demon—who then feels agitated and quickly hides behind his unfinished building.

"Don't worry…. We're not here to avenge our own death. We've heard everything from Hanako-chan…" said a boy to him.

"Yeah… she told us, you were just lonely and wanted us to be your friend…but you know what? We can't…. but we appreciate it…!"

The demon is a little flustered, he knows well that his intention of collecting them is not to make friends with them. Why did they tell them that he wanted to make friends with him? Either way though, it seems like it turned out to be a good result…

"We're going to move on from this place now…into the light… so basically, we forgive you! So don't be a problem for others okay? Else, the scary big boobs girl and friends will pawn your ass again!" a girl said.

"Scary…big boobs girl?" the demon tilts his head.

"Yeah, that one with the purple hair! Hanako-chan told us she is super scary especially when she is mad!"

"Oh….Toujou Nozomi…." he said.

"Yes! Whatever her name is! But now, we're going to go out of this world…bye-bye!" a boy said before a door to the light actually opened close to them.

The little devil knows that they will somehow disappear soon—to a said peaceful world behind the door of light.

But when the kids were close to the door, a very tall woman with black dress appears near them…

The little demon realizes her existence.

"H-Hurry up! Run!" the little demon shouted.

The kids raise their head to see the woman in black dress instead—astonished by the height of hers and all the long fingers she possess.

Knowing the kids are currently oblivious to the situation, the little demon quickly runs to push the kids away to the door. One by one got in, but the tall woman started to move her hand quickly—attempting to grab the remaining kids and the little demon.

"No! Don't do anything to them! I promised to protect them!" the little demon shouted before he raises up a tall wall to protect the kids that quickly attempted to enter the door.

It was fortunate for the kids that they all managed to get into the door of light, that slowly closes again right after…but….the little demon is now in the grasp of the tall creature.

The woman remain silent as she looks into the demon with her intimidating eyes,

"I swear to you! One day, Toujou Nozomi will reach you—and she will teach you a lesson about whatever you've done to our kind! She may not be as powerful, but I believe in her!" the demon said loudly.

The tall creature still remains silent before she distortes her face into a huge mouth with massive sharp teeth…

"…and there will also be a day where you will beg for mercy—and get what you deserve!" the demon said again before he was swallowed whole by the black dressed creature.

* * *

 **see you next chapter!**


	14. Ch14: Poolside Mystery

**I see that many are eager for the hard core and real romance,**

 **Well..it's coming up in a few chapter.**

 **I hope you're patient enough to read this one long chapter.**

 **Thanks for reviews/comment/faves/follows!**

 **Thanks to crimson for edits!**

* * *

The night is dark and a dim light shines against the clean ceramics of the dry pool.

A cleaning service woman steps down to the cold ground. Carrying a bucket of soap water and a pair of fabric on her shoulder, she carefully approaches the very corner of the pool. She swears, she could currently see someone laying down further away behind her.

In all her mind, she believes that it would be better to pretend to not see. But what if it is something important? What if it's something that is really-really crucial and will change her life if ignored?

Slowly, she turns her sight…

And the first thing she witnesses is a manly figure laying cold on the ground, pale face and stiff body. Then with all of her breath, she screams in fear.

* * *

Another year has passed,

And another president election was done, and Eli is once again in the list of running candidates without her registering herself. She sighed heavily as she puts her palm on her face, waiting for the vote results to be announced.

Nozomi sat next to her, there's part of her that she will be happy to run as a student council vice president again for Eli, though there's part of her that wishs that she could take a break in her last year of high school.

Eli has never asked for a second vice president other than Nozomi, even though she is now able to communicate with others without being awkward in a better way, she still doesn't like to hang out with anyone else other than Nozomi—just like how she was in her first and second year.

The Principal doesn't do much to help either, she always puts her hopes and wishes on Eli—despite the protests Eli makes from time to time. She always knows that Eli will always-always-always do her job and that's enough to make her want to always-always-always force the job on Eli.

Apparently her excuse is that, she wants Eli to always-always-always run the school along with her, whenever it's possible.

"Next vote… Ayase Eli…" said the student who was tasked to count the votes.

Four other students added to the count in their book.

"Then…next…Ayase Eli…."

And they're adding the count to the paper again…

Eli sighs heavily,

"Looks like I'm going to run as president again…"

"Don't worry, Ericchi… there's still about…. 600 students…."

"And look at my current count…. From 800 student, I have 650 votes…"

"That's like 150 of the students are choosing someone else…."

"I know that part! My point is, 150 divided to 3 candidates, do you think there will be anyone who can surpass my count from that 600 students?"

"Well...maybe the 600 students will choose the same candidate that is not you…"

Eli sighs heavily again.

"Let's just see…ok? I hate this…"

And suddenly, Principal Minami approaches the two,

"So… how is your day…? Miss Ex-President, or shall I keep calling you President?"

"Very…Good….Thanks…" Eli replied sarcastically.

"I'm glad… because, my daughter told me that you two have been taking her to a lot of adventures related to spiritual beings, now she can see and hear them as well…"

"Oohh…that's a good thing?" Nozomi asked.

"In a way… it makes me realize that my daughter has so much understanding—and also easily surprised…"

"Good for you then…" Eli replied without any enthusiasm.

"For what I'm trying to say, Ayase…. thanks for taking care of her… but if you don't mind, I want you to keep guiding her…"

"She is not even my responsibility…why are you annoying me so much…" Eli replied.

Principal Minami raises her eyebrow,

"Well...I wasn't trying to do that…I honestly think it's good for her to be aware of the spiritual being's existence…" she replied.

Nozomi smiled faintly,

"Now-now, Principal Minami… I think Ericchi is not quite in the mood…"

"If you say so… but, really, you should stop seeing this as my way to humiliate you, you're actually doing great and I feel like I want you to stay there until you graduate…" Principal Minami said.

"Yep…It's an honor, Ericchi…." Nozomi said.

Eli remains silent before sighing and looking away from them.

"Sheesh…what a troublesome person you are, Ericchi!" Nozomi said.

"….and you're the one to speak!" Eli replied as she quickly looks back at Nozomi.

"I'm still helping you….right?"

"You mean, helping halfway and then going to your own missions with the others?"

"It's not that often…"

"Yeah—like, every single day except Sunday since we don't meet that day to do student council work! By then, I've probably finished all the week's paperwork as well!"

The principal tilts her head slightly,

"Well, now that you mention paperwork, I've always been wanting to tell you that you don't need to do the entire thing as you could've always left it to each division…"

"Uhn…She did that before…but…they weren't able to surpass Ericchi's standards… they often left out some details…" Nozomi replied.

"Ah…." The principal nods,

"Then…you could just issue this to me and I'll talk to them…" the principal said.

Eli blushes slightly as she turns her sight away again,

"I just want to get my work done..." she said.

The Principal seems to be flustered for a moment, though when an idea came up across her mind…

"Hmm…I get it… did you work yourself out so you could nag Toujou and make her stay with you?" The principal asks teasingly.

Nozomi knows that it is possible for her to do that, but maybe it's just her confidence that says so…

"W-what?! N-No way! Why would I want to nag her anyway. I can do it myself…she isn't that good at helping either!" Eli said.

"I was just guessing since you seem to seriously take mind when Toujou goes away with other people…also, the fact that you've never complained about working by yourself in your first year... I mean, I tried to peek in one day and I saw Toujou taking a nap next to you—and you didn't mind!"

"I...I just don't care enough!" Eli replied.

"Alright…I'll buy that…" The principal chuckles before she leaving the two alone after she waved to them playfully,

Nozomi remains silent as she watches how Eli's face could turn red at this point. Then she also wonders why they're not dating yet at this point… They know they love each other…and they know they're interested in each other…. But really…why are they not going out yet? Have she ever asked the same question to herself over and over?

She really thinks that Eli might just be making up an excuse about her being the one that is not ready to get on the swing. But she also knows that she might truly not be ready.

Her practice with watching some nice videos of intimacy never worked that good, to be honest. It was rather her own imagination that could help her. She touched herself whenever it was possible to do so without being disturbed—not to mention that her spirit friend used to almost catch her doing that by herself.

For about a year, she managed to lower her chances of getting a nosebleed from the heat of the moment, she also has geared herself with some resistance to charm and flirts by listening to a secretly recorded sexy and beautiful voice of hers in repeat.

Can she say that as her biggest achievement last year? Not about all the serious spiritual cases that she finished with or without her Ericchi?

Either way…now she wonders, what if she tries to ask her out once again? But how can she ask it so that she thinks that she truly is serious?

* * *

For about a few hours,

Nozomi and Eli keep waiting inside the room, the two has already fallen asleep as they waited for the count—and from the 600 students, about 300 of them voted for Eli, which clearly shows who's the victorious president and vice president couple in this years election.

Eli sighs heavily causing the purplenette to wake up from her slumber. She looks to the blonde and starts to tidy up her hair—wiping her own lips and adjusting her vision focus. For a moment there, she was able to see that the nine-tail beast soul seemed to be very calm and collected, but when her eyes gained focus, she could clearly see that the blonde haired quarter Russian was frowning unhappily.

"Good timing… we're winning again this year…" Eli said with a smirk on her face.

Nozomi remain quiet, it takes a while for her to process the words that got through her ears.

"Oh…we are? Then…let's just do our best…Ericchi…."

Eli sighs heavily again.

"You're enjoying it too, right? You don't have to play it hard…Ericchi…I promise I'll stick around you some more…"

"You know, Nozomi… I was honestly wishing to stay out of the council business so I could do something else…"

"Like joining our adventure, Ericchi?"

"Sort of…"

"So you do feel left out and that's the main reason why you're complaining about it now…"

"Can we just pretend that weren't talking about this before?" Eli complained.

"Sure thing, Ericchi…but we all know that you truly love me…we should really go on a date.." Nozomi replied confidently.

"How many times have I heard that question….?" Eli sighs.

"Like a hundred? Why are we not dating yet…"

"And how many times have I heard that question as well?"

"The same time as the previous question?"

Eli sighs again and stands up from her seat. Passing through the students that were tasked to do the counting, she headed to the door without thinking of what she will do after. Nozomi quickly follows up,

"Ericchi, I'm very sure that I'm now ready to face your deadly flirts…we can go on a date…"

"Deadly flirt…? Seriously…?"

"How else do I call it?"

And once again, the blonde let out her sigh,

"Whatever…. Thing is, Nozomi… I still don't think that I want to go on a date with you…"

"I'm going to ask again, why?"

"Because you're dangerously dying from that… that nosebleed of yours is crazy, you know? It feels so unrealistic for someone to have that in almost every heat of the moment…"

"I can always blame you for being a too-hot-for-me girl…"

When they reached the entrance to the school yard, someone runs into them…

"W-waaiiitt! Senpaiiiii!" shouted a very energetic girl.

"Oh…there she goes…" Eli rolled her eyes.

"Must be Honoka-chan…" Nozomi said.

And the ginger haired girl actually comes up to them.

"Nozomi Senpai! Eli Senpai! It's the beginning of a new semester and new classes as well! We should go for an adventure again! I'm sure you two aren't busy yet, right?"

"We are not…" Nozomi replied.

"Though we will still have to prepare our speech for the new semester..Nozomi…we're running as president again…remember?" Eli said.

"Ah—just put that aside, Ericchi, we can do that later…" Nozomi replied.

"Ooh…I heard you two are running as president and vice president for three years in a row now?"

"We are…" Eli sighs.

"That's really cool…!" Honoka said cheerfully.

"Hehe..so…what are you up to now?" Nozomi tried to change the topic as it might go somewhere she doesn't want it to go.

"Just running around! Hehe..or actually, I'm going to buy bread from the school's canteen…want to come with me?" Honoka asked.

"Bread…huh? What do you think, Ericchi?" Nozomi turns her sight to Eli who seemed to be less amused.

"I'll go…" she said,

"Don't worry, Ericchi, they have chocolate flavored ones…" Nozomi chuckles, Eli turns her eyes away as she blushes slightly.

"Soo…off we go?!" Honoka asked again before the two nods and starts to walk to the canteen...

* * *

In the canteen,

Eli, and Nozomi sat on the most corner of the seats while they waited for Honoka to get their bread.

"Hhnn…it's been a year, huh? Shouldn't this mean…that this is our last year being here…?" Nozomi asked.

Eli stays quiet, she doesn't seem to be interested in the topic.

"Sheesh...and you're still doing that to me…" Nozomi said as she sighs at her.

"Didn't I always tell you that I will not answer to a stupid topic…?" Eli replied.

"Well, that's probably why we need to go on a date…we need to—get to know with each other…"

"And how could this turn into that kind of statement?" Eli complained.

"Because Ericchi never takes me seriously…"

"When are you serious anyway…"

"Like, now?" Nozomi replied.

Eli sighed again.

"You're not…" she mumbled.

"Ericchi…let's date…"

"No…Nozomi….we're not going to any dates… the last time we tried, you got a nosebleed and make my favorite blouse was stained with blood…."

"Well, why did you wear your favorite blouse anyway…"

"Because we were on a date!"

"Should've just not worn anything…"

"W-what?!"

"Hmm… don't you think a pool date could work?"

"We did try a pool date—and you almost drowned while staining the pool with your nosebleed…"

"Ahh—you're right…I remember that you wore a really sexy bikini...I swear I saw all of your curves and almost was able to see your nipples too…"

Eli sighs heavily.

"I have better resistance now, so, let's go on a pool date…" Nozomi said.

"How are you even increasing your resistance to me…"

"Just trust me that I did…Ericchi… so, let's just go on a pool date again!"

"Pool date?" Honoka suddenly appears next to them, carrying all the bread that they asked her to get.

"Yup, a pool date, Honoka-chan…what do you think?" Nozomi asked to Honoka.

"What's a ….pool date?" Honoka asked.

"You just hang out around the pool with your beloved ones and maybe do some nice stuff?"

"Like… Jet skiing?!" Honoka said excitedly.

Eli raises her eyebrows as she heard it.

"You can't Jet ski in a pool, silly!" she said loudly.

"Oo…sounds fun though!" Nozomi said.

"Jet skiing in the pool? That sounds fun…" Maki suddenly comes up to them.

"M-Maki…?!" Eli was surprised by her sudden presence—and to her answer as well.

"I often played Jet Ski in my private pool as kid…" Maki said.

"Private…pool?!" Honoka, Eli and Nozomi exclaimed in their surprise.

"Yeah… but they're not in my current home, it should be the one near the beach…"

"Nice…." Honoka replied.

Nozomi remains silent as she stares into the red haired princess, talking calmly about what she did as a kid. Eli seems to be amazed, though she also doesn't looks amused with that as well.

"Why did you even jet ski in a pool…" Eli asked with a frown on her face.

"Well, my pool was big and playing in the sea was too dangerous for me at that time…" Maki replied.

"I see…" Eli smirked wryly.

"Oo..so you're really a rich princess Maki-chan!" Nozomi commented.

"Hah—that was nothing…." Maki said proudly.

"Hmmph! What do we have here now…? A snobby little kid showing off her wealth!" said a familiar voice.

Maki quickly looks around,

"I heard a stupid bug talking…" she said.

"Who are you calling a stupid bug, huh?!" a black haired girl comes up to them.

"You, of course, who else?" Maki replied.

"I'm your damned senior!" Niko shows her green ribbon.

"You are right, you really are my damned senior!" Maki smirked at her.

"Hmmph! So what is this playing in the sea and Jet Ski…thing, huh? Sounds like my daily activity…" Niko asked.

"Oohh… you're Niko-senpai, right? Come with us to the pool!" Honoka said cheerfully.

"If you say so…I have no choice, right?" Niko replied with a smug look.

"Well, your other choice is to stay home and take care of—…."

"Aaaa! Shut up!" Niko cuts in before Maki finishes her words,

Then suddenly, someone else approaches them again…

"Excuse me…" said a timid voiced girl,

Everyone turns their eyes to her.

"Ooh! You are….Hanayo-chan!" Honoka said.

"Uh…yeah you—…" and before Maki could finish talking, a box of Onigiri was shoved onto her.

"Thank you for saving me! I didn't expect to see you be here so...that's why! Please just accept my lunch for today!" The timid girl said loudly as she bows to the red haired girl.

"Y..you don't have to do this—…"

"Bye!" the timid girl was about to run, but….

"Hey..! I said, wait!" Maki grabs her hand.

And the time stopped right there for Nozomi. Her eyes focused on how the two juniors have their hands connected to each other…

 _Why_ _…._

She said to herself,

 _Why does it feel so romantic there_ _…?!_

She continued,

 _Ericchi!_

She shouted in her own mind as her hand grab into the blonde's wrist, surprising her as well.

 _Please help me! This isn_ _'_ _t true right?!_

 _I mean_ _…_

 _To be surrounded by people who swings in the same way with me!_

She said to herself again,

"Nozomi…you're overthinking things…they're not swinging that way… they're just holding hands and its not even held properly either…" Eli said with a low volume to make sure that no one heard it but Nozomi.

 _Ericchi you_ _'_ _re spoilsport…_

She said in her mind as she sighs...

"…and I bet you're saying that I'm not fun in your head right now…"

"You can read my mind Ericchi?" Nozomi asked,

"No, but I'm just guessing because you look like you're about to bleed from your nose again…" Eli replied.

Then back to what they see in front of their very eyes, Maki gave back the lunch box to the timid girl.

"Listen…I don't need this…ok? So take this back…" she said.

The pink eyes started to get watery, the girl's feet was shaking faster than her heartbeat.

"I..it's not that I don't like it…it's just that… I did it for free so I don't want to accept any kind of payment…" Maki said with as blush started to crawl up to her cheeks.

"I….I see…" The brown haired girl turns her head down in embarrassment,

"P…please…don't be sad, ok? I don't hate it…."

Then suddenly, a loud voice that they have never heard comes up…

"Kayooochiiiiinnnnn!" An orange haired girl runs up to them,

The timid girl didn't respond to the call as she is too occupied by her own embarrassment.

"W-whoa…kayo-chin!" the girl caught her almost crying.

"Oi! What are you doing to Kayo-chin-nya!" she said as she stood in front of her and points at Maki. The timid girl still seemed to be embarrassed,

"H-Huh? I didn't do anything!"

And as Maki said that, Nozomi grab Eli's breast,

"Ericchi! This is…triangle love!"

"W-what? They're just arguing, Nozomi! Not everyone here swings that way!"

"Oi-oi, no fighting in front of a senior like me…" Niko split the two.

"Fourangle love!" Nozomi squeezed Eli's breast.

"N-Nozomi!"

Then two familiar girls comes up to them,

"Honoka! There you are!" said a gentle voice…

"Ooo..! Umi-chan! Uh…What's wrong with your nose?" Honoka asked as she saw Umi holding her handkerchief to cover her nose,

"Ehehe…it's a long story…but basically, it was my fault…" Kotori said as she walks next to Umi.

"Ahh! I see!" Honoka replied cheerfully and meanwhile,

"Ericchi!" Nozomi called her again.

Eli sighs…

"What now…?"

"A side love story with a secret rendezvous!"

"W-what?! What are you even imagining Nozomi?!"

Nozomi's nose starts to bleed,

"Now…I've decided, Ericchi…" she said,

"Nozomi...your nose is bleeding…" Eli said.

"Everyone!" she exclaimed—which causes the other seven girls to turn their eyes to her,

"Nine of us will go to a Pool Group Date Adventure this weekend!" she continued.

"Say what?!" Seven of them replied.

Eli could only let out another heavy sigh before she places her palm on her own face. Does she even know everyone that she asked to come?

* * *

During the Weekend, at Toujou apartment;

A few medicines for Anemia was stashed in a bag, a few set of clothes and tissue also placed into the same bag, then lastly, a towel and a few bath equipment also added in. Her phone was fully charged and two power bank kept in her hand bag. Nozomi is now ready for her adventure.

She received a text from Maki, saying that she could've brought them all to her personal swimming pool, but since it might be not much for an adventure, she decided to let the group take their picks.

 _From : Nishikino Millionaire Maki_

 _Hey, we discussed about where we should go for an adventure. Since now we have three people that aren_ _'_ _t yet experienced, we decided to get the less challenging one. We didn_ _'_ _t tell them much about the adventure, heck, I was about to tell them but Honoka-senpai held me back. She said, we should use this chance to get to know Hanayo_ _…_ _or let_ _'_ _s say, Hanayo Koizumi. Umi-senpai also agreed on the idea because she indeed needs to explain something_ _—_ _and it should be the one about how she could use the ability to split her consciousness._

 _According to Kotori-senpai, we should be able to solve a mystery in a recently open pool. There never have_ _be_ _en any serious reports about it, but there are a few reports that talk about a few appearances that happened around dusk. 4:44 PM, to be exact. I also tried to ask if the pool is still open by then, and they said, the place turned into a night caf_ _é_ _and they closed the pool for the_ _public._

The text ended there.

Nozomi was about to reply to her, but then, a new text came up to her,

 _From : Ayase Ericchi Please Date Me_

 _Are you ready? I_ _'_ _m already in the parking lot. Don_ _'_ _t make me go up all the way to your room._

And Nozomi immediately replies to her first,

 _I_ _'_ _m ready, Ericchi. I_ _'_ _ll_ _come_ _down now. But…_ _by the way, why are you in the parking lot?_

She waited for a moment, already forgot to reply the long text she received before Eli's text.

 _I us_ _ed a bicycle to get here, I had to take my sister to her friend_ _'_ _s house which appears to be Honoka_ _'_ _s house as well. She is going to stay there for the night, so_ _…_ _that_ _'_ _s why_ _…._

When Nozomi read the word, bicycle, she swears an image of Eli riding a bicycle came up to her mind. Displaying her muscular feminine arm, her smooth skin and thigh, along with her blonde hair blowing in the wind, not to forget her little sister sitting behind her, feeling all the comfort and safety given by the older girl, getting all the time in the world to watch the sexy back and reliable shoulders moving in such a gentle motion.

 _Ah—_ _Onee-san! Thank you for the ride_ _…!_

A younger blonde in Nozomi's mind said.

 _Harasho…I_ _'_ _m glad you are happy_ _… let_ _'_ _s do this later again_ _…ok?_

A playful smile and mesmerizing wink was given to the younger blonde in Nozomi's mind…

Now that Nozomi thought about it, what if she is the one that gets to ride behind her…?

 _Ahh…_ _.Ericchi_ _…_ _. I love you!_

She said to the blonde in her mind as she was also hugging her tightly in her imagination,

 _I Know….Nozomi…_ _you don'_ _t need to tell me that for a million times_ _…_

The blonde replied in her somewhat cold yet gentle voice,

 _Do you love me too_ _…_ _Ericchi?_

A question that makes the bicycle stop.

Without another second to spare, the blonde steps down from her bicycle. She turns around and presses her lips against the purplenette beauty. She knows well about how it feels to have her lips pressing against hers, it was soft and it was so gentle.

She wishes she could feel it once again…but recently, Eli never showed her beast side anymore—she rarely comes up to the site again due to the amount of paperwork left in the student council room.

Now that she really thinks about it, if only she could take Eli to adventures more often, she could've gotten a chance to do the nice kisses with chocolate that she always forgets to buy….

 _Chocolate!_

Nozomi exclaimed in her mind.

 _I really need to buy them!_

She said before she quickly picks up all her belongings, locking the apartment door and runs off to where she needs herself to be.

* * *

Meanwhile,

A limousine was prepared right in front of the gate, Maki steps out of her house along with her mother who carried a bottle of wine in her hand.

"….I see, so you're going to stay there for a night with them as well?"

"Yes, mama…."

"Hmm…I heard from the principal, the student council are also a couple who did plenty of spirit exorcising…?"

"W…Well…sort of…." Maki turns her eyes away.

"I see… then we probably should hire them soon…"

"H-Huh?!" Maki raises her eyebrows in surprise.

"Let's talk about that later, for now, you should focus on what you need to do…" her mother replied.

Maki smirked, feeling that something too complicated will come up soon.

"..and..oh! Please carry this…"

She handed the wine to Maki.

"W-what?! Wine?! Why?" the younger red haired girl said in her surprise,

"Just hand this to the bartender, tell him to give it to the owner…"

"Don't tell me, you also know the owner of that place?!"

Her mother giggled,

"Of course, he was my elementary school friend… I think he owes me a few yen as well…"

"Oh…."

Her mother giggled again.

"Have fun, sweetheart… Don't forget to tell us how it goes…" she said before she returns to the house.

The Parking Lot,

"Ericchi!" Nozomi runs to where the blonde waited for her. She indeed has a bike locked on the post of the parking lot. Nozomi took a notice to the passenger seat, it looks somewhat big enough for an adult, with a basket strongly attached in the front, something heavy could be placed there—like her bag.

Then when she looks into the blonde—strong, fresh, and looking at her with her deep cold blue eyes with her white casual shirt, red scarf, and short black jeans…

It's so simple…and so neat…. But how could she look so mesmerizing?

"I'm…..ready…." Nozomi said weakly.

"Why are you taking so long? It should take approximately 3 minutes for you to come down from your room with your usual walking pace…" Eli said.

"I had to stop by the shop to buy some snacks…" Nozomi replied.

Eli remain quiet as she looks at the plastic bag Nozomi carried— she didn't know what might be inside it, but she saw a few bottles sticking out from it.

"Alright, you're forgiven…" Eli replied as she takes her bag from the bicycle's basket.

"Let's go to Maki's house now… we should be able to get there on time if we walk now…" Eli said.

Nozomi remains still in place as she watches Eli walk off.

 _To get there with Maki-chan_ _'_ _s car_ _…._

 _Hmm…._

 _I bet the car will be full of other people as well_ _…._

 _And…_ _that means_ _…_

 _I won_ _'_ _t be able to take any advantages of the beautiful Ericchi_ _…._

 _And not from her bicycle either_ _…_

 _This is bad_ _…_

She thought in her mind.

"Ericchi wait!" she said loudly—holding the blonde from moving further...

"What is it Nozomi?" Eli replied.

"You see, Ericchi… I think parking your bicycle here isn't safe…"

"So… you want me to do…what? Park my bicycle back to my apartment and go to Maki's house by foot?"

"No-no… more like, why don't we just go there by this?"

"You want me to ride it to the pool?"

"Yup! Shouldn't be a problem right…? I'll be sitting in the back and we can switch if you're tired…"

"I think it's more effective if we just join them…"

"That's not allowed, I mean… they will have their place full of people….we shouldn't be a bigger burden, right?"

Eli remain quiet to it, then she sighs at her,

"Nope, we're going with Maki's car for now. If you want a bicycle tour, we can do that later—when we are supposed to find some sponsors!"

"Ericchi is a spoilsport…" Nozomi pouts.

"More like—trying to discipline you with the council work we're supposed to do together!'

"You're just trying to throw the responsibility on me, right Ericchi?"

"It's not MY responsibility or YOUR responsibility…it is OUR responsibility!"

"Oh—So Ericchi wants us to be together….that's romantic of you, Ericchi…why don't we date already…"

"…and how does this turn into that question again?!"

As the two decides to just keep walking to where they are supposed to be, once again a huge mysterious tall woman stayed further behind them—remaining in her unseen spot as she watches the two disappear from her sight….

* * *

It doesn't take long for everyone to gather at Nishikino's residence,

And it takes a while for them to pick up their belongings and place it in the car. Each of them did a lot of checking of their own belongings, then also to re-check if there's anything they should get before dispatching.

"The Pool is pretty far from the big city—but it's always known as the best resting area for those who travel on the road. The place is built with plenty of rooms to stay for the night, some luxurious room also built for upper classes to stay in it because they often make a lot of complains when they're not given with such facility..." Umi explained as she places her huge bag in the car, there's a bandage patched on her nose.

"The other thing is that because it's rare to find the upper class staying in such a place, they don't make much room for them. Only about four rooms are built in there…" she continued as she places her other big bag in there.

Everyone stares at her quietly, wondering if she should really bring a huge bag like that.

"Uhm…Umi-chan…what are you carrying?" Nozomi asked.

"These? Well…just some of my stuff and my most needed stuff for adventure…"

"Uh…like….what?" Nozomi asked again.

"Wh-whoa?! These are actual Katanas-nya!" an orange haired girl suddenly picks up a pair of actual katana sheathed in the huge bag.

"H-hey! Put that down!" Umi quickly snaps at her.

"N-Nyaa!"

"W-why did you have to bring a real katana anyway…where did you even get it from…?!" Maki complained.

"Those are mine... I always bring them everywhere…"

"I've never seen them before though…" Honoka said.

"You just need to be a little sharper in noticing what I always bring to school…"

"Uhn…there's that long bow, arrows, and your school bag….? Uh…where do you put the sword again?"

"That should be where the long bow is… I just figured it out in the beginning of this week…" Kotori said with a slight hint of guilt in her face.

"Oh—so that's how you got wounded on your nose, I'm guessing someone was playing around too much…" A small girl said as she adds her belongings to the car as well...

"You noticed her wound earlier than me? That's surprising, Nikocchi…" Nozomi said.

"Hehe, must be the advantage of being short-nya!" Rin said.

"H-Hey! You don't need to reply for me!" Niko protested.

"By the way…. Kayo-chan…. We haven't heard anything from you, will you tell us about everything that happened before we met you for the very first time…?" Kotori tried to change the topic.

"O-oh….W…well…." Hanayo averted her eyes,

"We can listen to her in the car…we need to hurry before it gets too late…" Eli said as she shows her watch that shows the time which read, 2:31 PM.

"Our journey is approximately 1 hour at maximum and it could be more if we get unexpected obstacles… we don't want to risk getting late…" she continued again.

"Ah—you're right…let's go!"

* * *

On the road to the pool,

"So, Hanayo… can you tell us about what happened to you back then?" Umi asked politely to her new junior.

"Uh…i-it's quite a long story…" Hanayo seemed to be nervous.

"We're all ears… just take it easy." Nozomi said.

"T-thank you!" she replied before she took a deep breath, her best friend, Rin Hoshizora seemed to be flustered, Niko tried to listen as she somehow knows something is up with them.

"W-Well…. it all started the day when my friend, Takahashi died from a strange cause…it has never been leaked to anyone and his parents always told everyone that he died from a disease…"

"How is this…a strange cause?" Kotori asked.

"There are scars and bruises on his body while in fact—he has always been sleeping on his bed…then, it wasn't the said disease that killed him, his heart just stopped working all of a sudden…"

"So, how was this related to you splitting your consciousness and being stuck in that temple?" Umi asked politely again, Rin seems to realize something as it was being said,

"W-Well…." Hanayo turns her eyes away.

"Oohh! Is that why you were staying at my house every weekend-nya?!"

"E-Eh!? Staying at your place every weekend?" Nozomi raises her eyebrow.

"Yep! She has always been staying at my place every weekend ever since Takahashi-kun's death. At night, I always see her losing consciousness instead of sleeping. She has never been like that when we were younger-nya! I always knew how Kayo-chin sleeps-nya!"

Hanayo blushes madly to the statement,

"W-Well…yes…. I was worried if I do that at home, people will worry. Plus, Rin-chan's home is much closer to that kindergarten…so….yeah…"

"Tell me, where did you learn this splitting consciousness ability?" Nozomi asked.

"From Takahashi-kun… after his funeral, he came up to me and told me that he needs me to take care of the children, but he also told me to be careful of one of the one children that couldn't go outside of the area. He should have some sort of mischievous smile. During the weekend, he will never be able to go out of the building—so that was also the time when it was safe to play there with the other children…"

"Who is this, Takahashi-kun? He doesn't sounds like a nice person…" Nozomi once again asked.

"Uhm…. he was a friend of mine. He was a little strange and rarely shows himself to others… he told me himself that he has never talked to anyone in the school other than me…so…that's why…"

"Where is his soul now?"

"I don't know…the last time I met him was in a fast-food restaurant… he never came back after that…but… the last few texts I received from him was kind of strange as he always says that… he wants me to look at him…but I don't understand what he means since…me and Rin-chan always paid a visit to him before his death…I thought it could be a hint for something…but it's not…"

"How do you know that it's not?" Umi asked politely.

"I asked him… then he said, it's nothing to think about now. What's past is the past and he will move on…?"

Nozomi and the others except for Eli, Niko and Maki seemed to give her a concerned look.

"Uh…Kayo-chan… when someone tells you that he wants you to look at him… do you understand what it means?" Kotori asked.

"Uh…to pay a visit to him?" Hanayo replied innocently.

Kotori was about to explain, but…

"Then let's just leave it at that…" Maki said quickly.

"E-Eh…?" the others became surprised to the statement.

"He didn't explain it himself, so let's just leave it like that… it's better that way…" Maki said.

Everyone nods in agreement.

"So…what does that actually mean-nya?" Rin asked.

"I told you it's better to not know!" Maki said clearly to her.

"Maki-chan…Why are you so stingy nya?" Rin asks her playfully.

"A-Are you teasing me?!"

"Now-now, I think I have to agree to what they said, let's just leave it like that…" Nozomi said before she takes out her card deck.

"Putting all that aside…" she continued as she started to shuffle her cards...

"What will you do with what you have right now?" she asked.

Hanayo remain quiet, wondering of what she should say to that question.

"Well…" the short brown haired girl pauses...and she turned her sight down to the car's luxurious carpet.

Nozomi pulled a card— The Hermit card.

"You're still looking for an answer?" Nozomi asked.

Hanayo nods weakly.

"Then, you should join our group!" Honoka said loudly.

"H-huh?" Hanayo flustered.

"Ok! Then Rin-chan will join too-nya!" Rin said cheerfully.

"W-wait..do you even know what group we are?!" Maki complained.

"I don't know nya! But sounds fun-nya!" Rin replied with full of excitement in her eyes.

"Uh…well..Rin-chan—…" Kotori started to explain,

While they tried to explain what exactly they're doing, Eli let out a sigh—she still seemed to be less amused. Nozomi noticed how her face didn't give any hint of interest to the members that will join soon, she decided to pick one of her cards, then throws it to Eli—the blonde caught it at ease, and then gently takes a look at it…

 _The Lovers_ _…_

And as the blonde turn her sight to Nozomi,

 _Pouts and we should date_ _…_

Nozomi mouthed. Eli smirked at her and quickly turns her eyes away—she was then pretending to take interest to what was said by her juniors.

* * *

The pool, dusk;

"…so…that's sort of what we do…" Kotori finished her explanation as she and the others steps down from the car.

"Oohh—so that's like…the Occult Club-nya?!" Rin asked,

"Hmm…No-no… not quite…we don't do random stuff or human medium ritual…we just hunt for disturbing spirits…and they're real…" Kotori replied.

"How real-nya?" Rin asked.

"Like…really real…" Kotori replied.

"I suppose she has to experience it herself…but…is it fine for her to learn how to see?" Umi asked.

"I'm sure Rin-chan will be fine…" Hanayo said.

"Yeah…she looks like will be fine…unlike someone specific…" Maki said as she glances at Niko who seemed to be already getting Goosebumps from the story itself.

"W-what?! I'm not scared! Why would I be scared with that story…I've seen something worse!" Niko yelled.

"Like what?" Maki asked mockingly.

"Like…a legless woman that appears from the floor…"

"Oh—that must be…Reiko-chan?" Kotori said.

"Probably…" Umi said.

"Uh…right… that woman… I tend to see her whenever I pay a visit to the shrine… she just loves to be seen… what a attention seeker…" Maki said.

"How cruel of you calling me an attention seeker?!" suddenly a voice was heard from somewhere around her.

Everyone quickly looks around, though, there's only a female spirit—with complete legs standing near the entrance—everyone who can see ignored her completely.

"Strange, I heard Reiko's voice but I can't see her anywhere…" Umi said.

"Yeah…it's so strange…" Kotori agreed.

"Maybe, they're just our feeling?" Nozomi said.

Eli remains quiet as her eyes keep looking at the woman soul at the entrance. She keeps staring at her face, then down to her legs.

"Uhn…did you hear that clearly too Maki-chan?" Honoka asked.

"Yeah…I feel like she is close, like just there near the entrance…but since I can't see them anyway…" Maki said.

"What about you Ericchi? Did you see her…?" Nozomi asked.

"I thought I did, but maybe not…" Eli replied.

"T-There! All of you are so crueeel!" The woman who stood near the entrance protested,

"Uh…I heard her again…" Maki said.

And by then, the woman soul who stood near the entrance sank down to the floor—then she raises up right in front of Maki.

"I'm hereeeeeeee!" she pointed to herself.

"Oh…now you show herself…" Maki said.

"Hmmph!" Reiko throws her face away from her.

"W-whoa! Who is that-nya?! I never saw her before!" Rin said.

"Uh…how did you do that….?" Hanayo asked.

"Put that question aside… how did you get those legs growing again?" Nozomi asked.

"I told you, it's by doing something nice!" Reiko said proudly.

"What did you do?" Honoka asked.

"Hehe…I helped someone fulfill their wishes! Just about a week ago, an old grandma wished for her daughter to stop looking for love..so I helped her to get that wish fulfilled…."

"W-wait…wait…isn't that something mean?!" Nozomi raises her voice.

"I don't know..but since my legs are grown, I suppose it's not mean at all?"

"I wonder now, is the 'kindness' that you need to do to grow your legs has some specific requirement?" Eli asked.

"uhm..not really…but it has to be actually something that benefits others…"

"That means, even if it becomes something bad for others…..?"

"No...no…it has to be a benefit...so… it must be something good for everyone!" Reiko said.

"Oh….Alright…so you can't be having those legs by being mean to others…"

"yep!"

"I wonder why someone was not allowed to fall in love…? I mean…being in love is a good thing, right?" Nozomi said.

"Not when it's too quick or has too many choices…" Eli said with a sigh in the end of her sentence.

"That's called looking for the right person, Ericchi… Why do you think someone decides to move on from their old love…?"

"Love without struggle is not true… every love needs a struggle and if you can't survive that, then you're not worthy to be loved or to love someone…"

"When you love someone, you're looking for happiness with them… struggling to love doesn't make sense. You don't love someone because you struggle to love that someone...you just fall in love and that's it…"

Eli frowned at her, she was about to say something but…

"Now-now, why don't we just drop that topic..?" Reiko quickly moves to face Eli, smiling to calm her down.

"Yeah, I should go bring this to the owner as well…we can't waste time here…" Maki said.

Nozomi remains calm while the blonde keeps frowning at her.

Walking deeper into the Pool area,

The group finally found the bar where Maki was supposed to give the wine to the bartender. As the bartender's eyes met Maki's, he immediately approaches her…

"Ah—from Nishikino Family…isn't it?" the bartender said.

"Uh…yes…" Maki replied—still holding the bottle of wine in her hand.

"Let me get that wine off you, then you can have the keys. We currently have one room occupied by a family, so that means you all only can get three rooms…unless you want to get the regular room…"

"Should be enough for the nine of us, three people in each room…Maki said."

"How will that be…?" Umi asked politely.

Eli was about to say something, but….

"Oohh! Maybe we can just play Russian roulette for that!" Honoka said.

"R…Russian…Roulette?" Everyone smirked.

Eli put her palm on her face, doesn't know where to start explaining what Russian Roulette exactly is.

"H-Honoka-chan… do you mean that we can shuffle it?" Kotori said.

"Uhh…yeah!" Honoka said cheerfully.

"Well, I have some chopsticks to do that…" Hanayo said.

"My suggestion is that we should just stick with who we get along with…" Eli said.

"But we're here together to be together…so let's just use the chopsticks to shuffle…" Nozomi said.

"On the contrary, this is a mission and to fight over something is not an option… we should just stick with who we are comfortable with so that we can prepare everything effectively…" Eli said.

"Worry not, because we've picked the most friendly case so that we all can play safe… let's use this chance to get to know each other…" Nozomi said.

"To take everything easily is dangerous—too dangerous. We never know what might be up our enemy's sleeve…"

"And to not know who are our allies may be called as ignorance…"

Eli is about to reply again, but…

"Hey, let's just take a vote… should we shuffle or should we just stick with who we are close with?"

"I think it's a lot more fair if we shuffle…" Umi said.

"Yeah—it prevents someone from being left out… I know some of us just don't really get along with everyone…" Kotori said.

"Some of us…huh? You mean, her?" Niko said as she looks at Eli.

Eli smirks at her comment,

"I honestly really don't know about you all…so…I guess I'm one from that 'some'…" Maki said.

"Oohh—you're right-nya! Even though you're my classmate, I never see you talking with anyone-nya!" Rin said.

"S-Sh…shut up…"

"We should get a long, Maki-chan!" Rin said.

"Y-yeah…I agree…" Hanayo said.

"So, that fixed it..right? We're shuffling it…" Nozomi said.

Eli sighed.

"Fine… but I'm not going to try getting along… if I don't get along, we really don't…." she said.

"Stubborn…" Nozomi said.

Eli rolls her eyes and crosses her arms over her chest. Ignoring that attitude of hers, Hanayo picks out her chopsticks, nine pair of them with three colors on the tip, there are Red, White, and Pink.

She shuffled it and covered the colored tip with paper, then each member picks them—watched by Reiko who've been quiet as she floats above them.

Before they opened each of theirs, Eli took a glance at Nozomi—with a faint blush in her cheeks and a slight frown, though she tried to not be seen looking at her. Her attempt was a failure, but Nozomi knows that she tried and she pretend that it was a success.

 _Ericchi_ _…_ _I know you want to be in a room with me, but maybe it_ _'_ _s really time for you to be close with someone else_ _…_ _. Not just knowing them or trying to act fine around them_ _…._

 _I mean_ _…_ _I know that we could_ _'_ _ve got_ _ten a chance in that moment_ _…_ _but still.._

 _Sometimes I really think that you_ _'_ _re being clingy_ _…_

 _And you_ _'_ _re hiding your true feelings_ _from me too much_ _…_

 _Maybe the real way to take that out is not to be too close with you_ _…_

 _But to be far from you_ _…_

 _You_ _'_ _re scared to lose me_ _…_ _.right?_

Nozomi thought as she slowly pulls out her chopstick, wishing that it will be different color than Eli.

 _White_ _…_

And Nozomi quickly takes a glance at Eli's choptick.

 _Red…_

Nozomi smiles and then tries to look at what the others got…

Honoka, Kotori and Hanayo are Pink.

Eli, Niko, and Maki are Red.

Then Umi, Rin and Nozomi are White.

"Uh…good luck, Niko-chan…" Kotori said as she realizes how the team will be.

Niko lets out a really loud and heavy sigh as a response,

"I guess that can't be helped, huh? To be in a team with two people that has no idea about how to get along with the others…. Could this be my fate to teach them how?"

"If you can do that, sure…" Nozomi said with a teasing smile.

Eli was still smirking and really seemed to be not amused at all…

"Uh…why is the atmosphere so awkward…" Kotori said with fear in her voice.

Nozomi chuckles,

"Well, we apologize for the inconvenient, it should be our first time working together in this kind of arrangement, right? Let's give it a shot…don't sweat over anything too much…just enjoy it.." she said.

Eli frowns slightly at her again, feeling that she has been humiliated too much from ever since they set foot in this very place.

"Sheesh, it's just about who stays with who—and only for a night…why are we getting this much feeling involved…" Maki said.

Eli's face suddenly changed as she heard the sentence, she nodded with her strange smile and says,

"You're right… we should not involve any feelings to work on something as easy as this…"

Nozomi noticed the sarcasm in her voice,

"Now, we should try to get along, right?" the blonde continued as she pulled both Maki and Niko together, then embrace them like they've always been getting along before.

"Where are our rooms again… sweethearts?"

"S-sweethearts?!" Maki and Niko exclaimed.

And with that too, Nozomi knows that maybe her way to try and make distance is quickly countered. She has never thought of that to be possible. In all means, from all that she will expect is Eli to be jealous and more jealous…not to be jealous and to strike her back with the same idea—plus in a more extreme way.

Once again, she thought…

Is it really a good idea to begin with?

She cannot reverse the time when it has already happened.

Will it be possible to turn everything into a chaos to their relationship instead?

* * *

A few minutes passed,

They finished placing their belongings in their rooms. Nozomi, couldn't feel more bothered than now. It's true that she has tried a lot of approaches on Eli and this kind of approach is not what she always uses—it is indeed her first time trying and it proves to be disastrous. It's too bad that she didn't know…

Their first task in this place was to just hang out around and keep their eyes open for any spiritual appearance. The team was not supposed to be split in the same way, but thanks to the specific blonde that suggested to keep the arrangement in order to 'get along' and also to make them able to see in many point of views.

While Honoka, Kotori, and Hanayo stays around the lounge, Nozomi, Umi and Rin stays around the pool, then Eli, Maki and Niko… they're staying around the lobby which is just across the pool.

"So why are we here…?" Niko asked.

"Uh…because, we basically here to watch over the two teams doing their work…?" Maki replied with less enthusiasm.

"Like…a back-up team?" Niko asked as she raises one of her eyebrows.

"Pretty much…" Maki replied with a sigh.

"Are you serious?! So far I know, Eli and you are the ones who has the best ability…why are we the back up team?!"

"So far…you know? That's pretty far enough—I mean, to be able to judge…is already something…" Maki replied.

"Nothing is wrong with saving the best for the last…" Eli said.

"I hope you're not saying that because you don't want to work if not with that soul mate of yours…" Niko crosses her arms.

"I-It's nothing like that…" Eli stutters.

"Besides…." She continued as she turns her face away,

"We've never really worked together…"

"Huh?!" Niko raises her eyebrows,

"That's a big lie, isn't it… You two are always working together like an inseparable couple…" she continued.

"I have to say, I can't say much since the only time I saw you two in a mission together was at the time when we were at that restaurant—a year ago… after that….well… she has always been with us while you always wandered by yourself…." Maki said.

"I'm not talking about this thing only, I'm talking about the whole life thingy… If I have to be honest… you're like so strict and disciplined while she is like the one who always keeps things flowing. It's not a direct impact, of course, but you're less scary and painful because of her existence around you…"

Eli smirks at her,

"Not like I care if people see me as a scary woman or anything… everyone is free to say anything about me...besides… it's always a pain in the ass to smile in front of others…and she forced me to do that all day…"

"She forced you? More like, you're doing it for her…. I've never seen you two argue about it…."

"Wait a minute… how could you know about that…?! Did you stalk them that much?" Maki said.

"Huh? No way…I'm just saying that because I feel like I could understand her…" Niko said as she pointed to Eli.

Eli remains silent, wondering what Niko exactly wants to say,

"I mean…if you are making distance because you feel like she is making the distance… then better be careful, you might regret it…" Niko said.

"I will not… I don't need anyone to begin with…she is the one who insisted me to make friends with her…" Eli replied coldly.

"Nobody can live alone, you know…you need her and she needs you…" Niko said.

"Big talk from you, I know who you are…" Eli replied.

"I'm talking from experience… you have to thank me because I gave you a heads up before you regret it…this isn't too late to make up somehow…" Niko said.

"I'm not you…. and she is not your friend… But I know who she is…" Eli said.

"Who? Your soul mate…?"

"She is someone who is only seeking for friends—and when she is desperate, she comes to me because she think I'll be desperate too…"

"Isn't that sort of an act of kindness though?" Maki asks.

"What kindness? I think it's just pathetic…" Eli replies.

"Pathetic….?" Maki flusters.

"What do you mean it's pathetic… she is trying to reach you… I'd be happy if I were you… but…maybe I won't say it…" she continued.

"…and leave me after she has new friends? Hah!" Eli throws her hands to the air in annoyance.

"I can't believe that I almost believed her that we will always be a best friends…." She continued.

"You're just jealous…if she hangs out with the others, it doesn't mean you will lose three years of friendship…. You will have your own time! Seriously!" Niko said, doing her best to put some sense into her.

"You mean, I will eventually lose everything I trust in her? I can totally see that happening already…" Eli replies—still with coldness in her voice.

"She left me to do the cases with those juniors—she promised to return on time but she never did, even after I waited for her for over two hours…and then she promised me that she will do things tomorrow, but she still goes with those juniors anyway and told me that it's an emergency she cannot leave…" she continued again,

"You just need to put more effort on reminding her… maybe she is just absent minded…." Niko said.

"Why would I put effort now? I've put enough effort to wait for her and to believe her… and that's what she gives me in return—that is the effort she thinks I'm worthy of… so it's clear, right? It's clear that she is tired of me already… it is clear that she isn't sincere in accepting me…she wants to throw me away…" Eli replied again.

"You're thinking too much, by all means, don't you think she probably has done more effort than you now? I feel like you're the one who doesn't accept her… she is trying hard to get you…I've seen you two talking and I can feel all that invitations she makes to you, yet you never accept her...with all the excuses… ." Niko replied.

"You mean, like… 'Ericchi, let's date…' thing? You're kidding me… That will involve more feelings than now…. if she can't stick with this, why would I want to be committed to her, she probably will only last like a week from now on…"

"Imagine how happy she will be if you're willing to date her….all the three years effort finally makes something…" Niko said.

"Nonsense… those happiness are fake… who can be happy to be around me anyway…." Eli replied.

"Should I call that as a hard-core jealousy statement…?" Niko said.

"I'm being realistic… you two aren't happy around me, right? Because I'm such a cold blooded person…or perhaps, because I'm scary….?"

"Well, yeah, you're scary…" Niko said.

"…but I'm sure she says something else… that's why you should make up with her and accept her…"

Eli rolls her eyes,

"I'm so done with this… why am I here to do this crap… I should've just stayed in my cozy apartment and got done with some actual work…." She said,

"Helping souls isn't actual work?" Maki asked.

"It is for her…. but not for me… no matter how many souls are saved, the world will always be full of those spirits… I wish my third eyes weren't opened… so that I could remain ignorant…"

"That's like saying, how much a police catches a burglar, the world will still be full of those…. I mean… it does make some change, you know… a small change but it's still enough…if everyone in this world thinks like you, then this world will probably be messed up… you have to care so that others will care!" Niko explains.

"Getting in trouble is just not my thing…someone else can do that…" Eli replied again.

"Still…that's not how you're supposed to think…Care for others, will you?"

"One thing that you need to know— I hate this world and everything in it… I've always wished to die but she stopped me from doing so…"

"Then she is trying to be your world, right?"

"More like—trying to make me hate this world even more… These disgusting spirits aren't even worth to be known or to be saved…Should've just let the beast inside me devour them… they won't run out of stock anyway…."

"Hey…what if…one of those spirits if the one that you love….? Like… your family perhaps…?" Maki asked.

"Every spirit that linger in this world are those who cannot move on from their past life. I'll treat them…fairly…." Eli replied again, with her cold glance...

"You're really cold, aren't you…"

"No one told anybody to give birth to me…I've never asked to be born…"

"Then what about their feelings? Don't you realize that maybe, you're what they wished for?"

"A couple doing what they call as sex, it was all nice until they make what they call as a miracle happen…what's so special about it…"

"They could've just thrown a garbage like you in the trashcan, or in the river… or maybe given you to the orphanage if they didn't care enough.… but really, every day, a lot of accidental babies are thrown away by their irresponsible parents… maybe when you're little, they always wished you to be someone they can be proud of…not to be a jerk who only centers everything on their own feelings…." Niko said with an impatient look.

Eli was about to respond, but…

"…the secret to stop being insecure is to stop making yourself the center of everything that runs in this world, start thinking that you're not the only one who has a story to tell or a feeling to be understood. To be able to live with a person for a long time doesn't mean that you know them the deepest, you never know how lonely someone is just from looking into their eyes…or just from the way they treat the others… in other words, always try to think, what if you're the one in their shoes…what makes you act like such and what makes you think like the way they think… but most importantly…." Niko takes a deep breath,

"Stop being negative… give everyone a chance to learn about you—and give yourself a chance to learn about others….no body is born to be alone… believe me!" she said confidently.

Eli was at loss for word, then she averted her eyes away.

"I'll think about it, ok…?" she said.

Niko nods, feeling relieved for being able to reach her…even if its just a little bit,

"That's the way… you have to listen to the Niko-Niko wise girl here…." She said.

"Huh? Say what?" Maki said mockingly.

"Shut up, you brat…I said listen to the Niko-Niko-senpai!"

"You mean, Niko-Niko-narcissist girl?" Maki said.

"I said—shut up, you brat!"

* * *

Meanwhile, The pool side;

Nozomi keeps watching from a distance, about how Niko and Maki were arguing with each other and the blonde who seemed to be quiet and more importantly—not looking at her.

 _Why do I regret my spontaneous act already_ _…._

She thought to herself.

 _It was so out of nowhere_ _…_

 _I should_ _'_ _ve realized that I don_ _'_ _t have the right to do that to her_ _…_

 _After all, I was the one who wanted to befriend her_ _…._

 _Did she feel betrayed_ _…?_

She keeps looking at the blonde—who seems to not care about her right now.

 _But my intention was to make her hang out with everyone, right?_

 _I had the right intention_ _…_

 _I didn_ _'_ _t do anything wrong_ _…_

 _Not now…_

She stayed quiet again while she watches her junior mess with the other junior.

 _But what if_ _…._

 _She hangs out with the others_ _…_

 _And turns out that she likes the other more than me_ _…?_

 _Like this girl in front of me_ _…._

She thought as she looks at Umi.

 _Such a disciplined girl, easily embarrassed which add to her cuteness, and I believe she has no problem with her studies_ _…._

 _But more importantly_ _…._

 _If Ericchi is chosen to be the president_ _…_ _she has all the right to pick who will be her vice president_ _…_

 _The vote results was so obvious_ _…_

 _Yet the final announcement haven_ _'_ _t been made_ _…_

 _Ericchi also haven_ _'_ _t officially told anyone about who will be her vice_ _…_

… _and to ruin our friendship at this time of the moment_ _…_

 _I_ _'_ _m_ _a genius! What have_ _I done?!_

Nozomi placed her palm on her face.

 _So stupid! If I d_ _on_ _'_ _t make_ _with her soon, she will certainly choose someone else! Then there_ _'_ _s also that Maki girl who also seems to be capable of doing something nicely_ _…_

 _There_ _'_ _s also this thing that I did to her_ _—_ _which she had mentioned before_ _…_

 _I_ _'_ _m too slacking on doing the council work with her_ _…_

Then as she remembers that, she turns her eyes down to the ground…

 _Really_ _…me?_

 _I_ _'_ _ve done no effort to be worthy of being her partner_ _…_

 _Yet I demanded as much as people who goes crazy over her_ _….?_

 _I should_ _'_ _ve remembered that I_ _'_ _m not the most beautiful lady in this world_ _…._

 _Also_ _…_ _should_ _'_ _ve remembered that there are a lot of people who wants to be her friend, yet she didn_ _'_ _t accept anyone but me until now_ _…_

 _I should_ _'_ _ve been grateful for that_ _…_

 _Not being a total jerk to her like now_ _…_

She bites her lips,

"Nozomi-senpai…." Umi called her politely, snapping her out of her thoughts,

"Ah….?" Nozomi lifts her sight to her polite junior.

"You look sad, is it because of what happened before-nya?" the other junior said to her.

"Mm…not really…I'm fine… I was just…uhm…trying to meditate to gain my focus…" Nozomi replied with a fake smile.

Umi and Rin seemed to not be convinced,

"You know, Nozomi-senpai… you shouldn't worry if you do something harsh to your best friend…sometimes they deserve that and you might be the one who knows well…" Umi tries to assure.

"Eh…? But why are we doing something harsh to our best friend, nya? We could always just talk to them about the issue…" Rin commented.

"Some people aren't that simple or agreeable… Like Honoka…" Umi said.

"…we could always leave them alone and let them wander off to their own grave, but if we do so, we shouldn't call ourselves as their friends…"

"I'm pretty sure I've realized that…" Nozomi replied weakly.

Umi remains silent to listen,

"But…what I was just thinking of is… am I worthy to call myself as her friend…?"

"Worthy or not worthy, I think you're not the one who decides…" Umi said.

"Yeah…. It's just about accepting or not, right-nya? If you think her as your friend, then she is your friend, no matter what she thinks about you…because I think, if we want to be accepted, we have to accept them…no matter how they are..."

"I have to speak differently because to just accept someone about who they are is not what I would do, I mean, accepting is good, but not in a specific limit. We have to understand what's best for our friends, not what's best for the relationship itself…"

"Are you not afraid to lose your friend?" Nozomi asked.

"Afraid to lose is not something I'd like to think of, I'd be more afraid to see them crawling their way out of their troubles—or to fall and never be able to get back up. That's why, if I know it is for the best, then I'd say it out loud to them…and if they wish to leave me because of that, then it's time to move on…"

"That's scary-nya…" Rin commented,

"Nothing will benefit me from trying to pull an unmovable cart…especially because time keeps running out, we wouldn't want to be stuck in one place our entire life…"

Nozomi chuckles to the statement,

"You sound like you have a lot of experience about that…"

"Trust me… telling Honoka what to do is hard, but she still does what's told in a way… It just takes more effort to make her realize what things are meant to be…"

"So she is…lacking common sense...huh?"

"Something like that…" Umi sighs.

"But it's not like she is the only one, I believe other people are the same like her in their own way, people just need to keep experiencing things on their own…."

"Hnnng…I think I feel like we're thinking too much about friendship-nya…I mean…for Rin, friend is friend, no matter how they are. It's not that we always have to stay out of trouble… sometimes, getting into trouble with friends are important too…we will both learn together and move forward together-nya…" her other junior commented again.

Umi smiled faintly at her,

"I suppose you're right in a way… but maybe, I should've said that it's something right, but it isn't for me…" she continued.

"Hehe…that's ok! People have their own way to express themselves-nya!" Rin said cheerfully.

"or…maybe it will be fun to find trouble with a person like you, Umi-chan…." Nozomi said teasingly.

Umi chuckles to the statement,

"Was that supposed to be a joke…?" she asked as she stops and gives out a plain expression.

Rin and Nozomi look into each other,

"Well-nya…" Rin took a pause…

Nozomi nodded to Rin—agreeing to whatever they might have in their mind…

Within a second, Nozomi and Rin grab's Umi's shoulder,

Clueless about their intention, Umi tilts her head…

In an unexpected moment, the two shoves Umi —who isn't even in swimwear down to the pool.

A loud splash was heard across the area, taking both the team in the lobby and the team in the lounge's attention…

* * *

The lounge;

"W-waah…Umi-chan is playing in the pool with Nozomi-senpai and Rin-chan!" Honoka said as she sticks her face to the window.

"R-Really!? I'm so jealous! I want to be in the pool too!" Kotori said as she also sticks her face to the window.

"Uhh…I wish we were the ones in the pool, it feels so strange to be in the lounge…." Honoka said.

"At least we have plenty of food to look at…" Hanayo said as she turns her sight to the ghostly woman that has been staying around the serving table, checking out all the freshly cooked delicious food.

"Uh…you're right… I've been looking at the cheese cake… but I feel so wrong to eat that while we are supposed to be paying attention to our surroundings…" Kotori said while she turns herself around to look at her junior who has been looking at the menu.

"I'm sure it's fine to do that, there are three of us here…we can always be each other's eyes"

"Then…should we take turns checking out the food?" Honoka asked.

"Sure!" Hanayo and Kotori replied cheerfully.

"Who goes first?" Kotori asked.

"Me!" and Honoka quickly runs before the two were able to respond.

"W-wait! Honoka-chan! That's cheatinggg!" Kotori said as she quickly runs with her.

"S-Senpai!? D-Don't leave me aloneee!" Hanayo said before she tried to catch up with her two seniors.

* * *

Back to the lobby,

While Maki and Niko seem to have already started their endless argument and has ignored the fact that the team on the pool are playing chase, Eli remained silent as she watches over the specific girl that made her jealous.

She keeps wondering, how could it be possible for someone like her to be so obsessed with the idea of having Nozomi for herself…? But why was she also given with doubt about their future? Why can't she just feel one thing and get to the point of what she really wanted?

Surely, those doubts are just a problem for her. Maybe Niko was right about them making up and see what she truly wishes from each other. Then maybe she should just let things go because Nozomi seemed to really enjoy the scene that she never knew why it happened.

As she let a faint smile appear on her own lips,

A faint voice was also heard in a distance. She could see a woman with a classy male suit, her body posture seems to be masculine, and she keeps her eyes to the pool…

"It must be her…." the woman said.

Eli tilts her head slightly, wondering of who she was referring to…

"Those size of a womanly asset, that smooth skin, those beautiful eyes…."

Eli frowned slightly,

"…..and those silky purple strands…."

The blonde started to get furious as she hears it.

"…..she must be my true love…"

* * *

 **Ok, see you next chapter again!**


	15. Ch15: Another Path to Choose

**Thanks for the patience on waiting!**

 **I have 2 chapters on the editing process so it might be coming up soon!**

 **Also, thanks for reviews/comment/faves/follows!**

* * *

Naturally,

Eli stood from her seat, moving swiftly to reach the person who showed a lot of interest towards a specific girl. Immediately, she shoved her away from the window, facing her directly to her and frowns deeply,

"Keep your eyes away off her or I'll tear them apart…" she said loudly,

Niko and Maki turns their eyes to the event, realizing that something has turned serious. The manly woman seemed to be dumbfounded by the sight of Eli, she stares into her from toe, up to her angered face.

"Such a violent beauty… might you be my true love as well?"

Eli was so surprised to hear it. Has she not listened to what she said before?

"You're disgusting…" Eli said directly.

"Those words are always said by those who are in denial about my masculine feature…"

"Who cares about your masculine body or whatever, you're not getting laid just by looks..."

"Maybe you just need to take a swing to the other side of the world…"

"I've swung myself enough and the one you were looking at before is mine…don't you dare of check her out with those eyes of yours…" the blonde replied furiously.

"Goodness…I've never seen anything like this in my own swing… a rivalry from first sight?" the woman lifted her eyebrows.

"It's not my first sight, thank you… she is my best friend and you should not get your hands on her…besides, if you've never felt any sort of rivalry in your life, then you're probably a beginner against me…"

"Now that you mention it, you sound like a professional lover…but you should know, I do not take a challenge as a game…I'm a faithful soul and worthy of every dreaming girl…"

"You're the only dreamer here…retard… get out of my sight and her sight or I'll drive you to hell…"

"Ms. Beautiful yet rude ass, I own this place… you're the guest, so you should be the one to do that for me…" the manly woman said.

Maki raises her eyebrows in her surprise, she swears she heard her mother say that the owner of this place is a man—not a woman…

"Hah, sure… If you're the owner, then I'll be the King in my own territory. You might own this place, but I own everywhere around her and will do anything to protect… so you better watch out…!" Eli replied as she shoves the manly woman before she starts to walk away from the lobby.

"O-Oi! Eli! Where are you going?!" Niko said before she quickly tries to catch up.

Maki remained in place, she kept looking at the owner who seemed to not care about what Eli just said to her. She wondered though, if she could possibly drop a name on her and get something to help out the situation…

She approached her and she was quickly noticed and known…

"Ah, from the Nishikino Family…?"

"Yes…" Maki replied.

"Sorry for the inconvenient sight, but really, some women tend to be that rude to me…"

"She is easily pissed off…especially when you're trying to involve socializing attempts to her girl…"

"True Love is a miracle, it just happens and no one being will be able to change the fate and future…"

"Huh…? Ok…Whatever…but…really, I'm just here to suggest you to really keep yourself away…plus, didn't you get the wine I gave?"

"Oh, right, I did… hmm…it's strange that lately, a woman was also sending me the very same wine…did your mother tell this to anyone?"

"Huh? No idea…probably not…maybe just me?"

"I see… so maybe… the future girl I always dreamed of is you…"

"Shut the hell up, that's creepy. But how could you just take that out of nowhere…?" Maki asked.

"Hmm…how to put it…."the manly woman began to think.

"I saw this girl in my dream… well…I've never really seen her face or hair color… but she was tall and she was beautiful…."

"Doesn't make sense…how could you say she is beautiful if you've never seen her face…"

"I just feel like she is beautiful…"

"Still doesn't make sense to me…. ah well…" Maki sighed.

"Either way, I've always dreamt of her, every time I stayed here…. Then by the time I woke up, I'm already sleeping on the dry pool….it's so strange that I never dry the pool yet the pool was dried by the time I woke up…

"Obviously because the pool is supposed to be dry at night and refilled in the morning… isn't that how the pool cleaning works here?" Maki replied.

"Really? I don't remember of putting such rules here…" she replied.

"Now I wonder about your contribution to this place…." Maki said.

"I'm not a hard worker, you see… I'm just a clever worker…"

"…and I'm pretty sure you're just telling me that you contribute to almost nothing…"

"G..gh….you and your mother are so similar… how could you raise a sharp tongue on me…can't it just be a the gentle and soft one on my lips?"

"Maybe I should just agree that you're disgusting…"

"S-Stop…Nishikino Junior…you're too rough for my little heart…"

"Really, I think it was that attitude of yours that granted you zero lovers until now…"

"I had plenty in my high school days… ask your mother…she witnessed it by her own eyes that I was the hottie of the school…"

"She never told me anything other than that funny story of a person who thinks he was hot while the student council had a hundred times more fans than him."

"….did she actually still refer to me as man….i thought she knew…."

"…is that even important to you now…? You're not getting a girl either way…"

"That hurts….Nishikino junior…"

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Oi! Eli! Hold on!" Niko shouted as she tried to catch up with the blonde who headed to the room where she kept her stuff.

"Where are you going, damn it…" the little girl kept her fast pace.

Eli didn't respond as she kept moving to the door and then stopped once she realized that the door is locked and she isn't the one who brought the key with her.

"I have the key here, but really, what are you going to do…? Are you actually going to leave just because of that woman?"

Eli remained still in silent.

"How much do you value that crap and how much do you value your soulmate? We're all here because of her, right…?"

The blonde sighed…and she decided to sit on the bench in front of the very room, then looks at the pool, where the very girl continued running around with her teammates.

"Are we even doing anything here? I see nothing we should be concerned of…not even a threatening presence…" Eli said.

"I have no idea what a threatening presence is… I just know we are hunting for souls and that's about it…" Niko replied.

Eli smirks and speaks no more to her.

"But I know something about you two… seeking for troubled souls and setting up justice for them…I have to say that you're merciless…and she was merciless… I may not be able to see all the time, but I know… and I understand… so please just tell me what exactly we're doing here…"

"Why don't you just go away from me and ask her…? I have no idea of why we are here to waste our time with all this crap?!"

"Well... do you mind if we all have fun? Is your life always this dull?"

"Just leave me alone!"

"Fine! But you're not getting your keys before you return to the post we are supposed to be in…"

"Useless… just look at the time…we're not even in the right time anymore…"

Niko raises her eyebrow, and then looks down to her watch—it's already 5:00 PM

"…and remember, we're supposed to see this happening at 4:44 PM...but nothing happened…or maybe—no one paid attention!"

"We still have until midnight…so just stay until then if you're really going to do what I think you're going to do!"

"I'm not going anywhere!"

* * *

At the pool,

Nozomi noticed that everyone in the lobby was gone and Maki was left with a manly woman...who somewhat kept staring at her and caused her to shiver in disgust. She certainly looks refined, but there is this thing that makes her feel like that woman is just as creepy as the lowly stalkers.

She stopped running, giving Umi the chance to catch her….

"W-whoa?!" Nozomi exclaimed,

Rin looked back in surprise…

"N-Nya?! Nozomi-senpai?!"

Then with all of her power, Umi throws Nozomi into the pool…

During the mid-air flight, Nozomi noticed a girl—glowing and transparent, hiding behind a pillar as she peeks into a specific blonde who was somehow already away from her post. Is this another someone who is interested in Eli?

Surely… it's not something rare for her, but it's still something that she will consider as a threat.

Will her best friend stumbled into trouble—because of that spirit…?

Leaving that aside for now, Nozomi is about to fall into the water.

Can she do anything about that?

 _Nope._

She thought to herself before she fell into the water.

Rin who has been astonished by the power of the angry blue haired girl—expected herself to be targeted right away, she could've just escape but ….

"N-Nozomi-senpai! I'm joining you-nyaaa!" Rin quickly ran and jumps into the pool before Umi was able to catch her.

Umi huffed at them, feeling that she has already completed what she wanted to do.

"Umi-senpai is so scary-nya!" Rin said.

"I agree, Rin-chan!" Nozomi replied playfully.

"Ah! No! We already passed the hour aimed for!" Umi said.

"Don't worry, Umi-chan, we can try to look around at midnight…!"

"S-Sheesh! Part of it is your fault! Feel bad, will you?!" Umi complained.

"I wonder how the other teams are doing-nya! Like…the one in the lobby or the longue?" Rin said.

"Why don't we get up and ask them away then?"

"Good idea, maybe we should take a break and work hard at midnight...we wouldn't want to return with nothing done…" Umi said.

* * *

The girls are called to gather,

They all took a seat where Eli sat before—it was Nozomi's idea since Eli refused to talk or move from her spot, so they were the ones who ended up there for her. They know that they shouldn't mention as to how annoying Eli is for them, so they decided to just leave everything to Nozomi on how to deal with her.

Niko has tried her best and she also already told everything to Nozomi, about what she said or what Eli said. Nozomi feels grateful for that, but…

There's a part of her that says… it could've been her to tell her all that, not Niko.

"…and then…and then…" Kotori continues her story about what snacks she tried in the lounge, Umi has been listening to them, even though their eyes are sparkling from all the happiness, the bluenette doesn't seem to be happy to hear it, but then again, she wasn't really paying attention either, during their previous mission.

While the ash brunette was supported by her teammates, Rin seems to be energized as she listens to Nozomi's lecture about how to enhance their spiritual power….

"….and you have to focus your heart to your own beliefs—you cannot see if you don't believe in what you want to believe— but also, you have to differentiate between seeing and imagining…"

"To see and to imagine….? What's the difference between them-nya?" Rin tilts her head confusedly.

"To see is to become aware of a vision that exists, but to imagine is to create your own vision …"

"Hnngg…so…if we put it into context, uhm….i still wouldn't know how to believe what I cannot see-nya…I think I'll need to do some imagining…" Rin said.

"Hmm…everyone has their own way to make themselves believe in something…if that works for you, then why not…" Nozomi replied.

"Ok-nya! I'll try to do that!" Rin said.

"Sounds good! Hmm… where was Reiko before…." Nozomi tried to look around.

Instead of Reiko, she caught a glimpse of another soul—might be the same soul who has been peeking on Eli before, but this time, she seemed to be extremely scared looking at them. Does she think them as a threat? Or perhaps it was all just in her imagination?

She doesn't know what she might be, but if she has to be honest to her own thoughts, she needs to somehow confront that soul without scaring her and cause her to escape. It could be troublesome if she doesn't know where she might go off to, if she ever escapes from her… maybe she will sneak up on her said-to-be-soulmate without her knowing…

Who knows what might happen next?

Certainly, that's dangerous...and must be prevented…

Fortunately, as she is still trying thinking of a way to approach the very soul, a specific soul acted faster than she did…

Reiko sneaked up to the girl, surprised her but didn't scare her enough to make her run.

"Why are you here?! Come and introduce yourself already!" Reiko said as she shoves the girl to the crowd,

"W-wh-whawawa…. Reiko-chan! Stop surprising me like this!" the girl said.

Nozomi noticed it—how could Reiko and her know each other?

Either way….

"Ah…well, why don't you try it out, Rin-chan? Just try to focus your eyes and mind to…" Nozomi pointed to where Reiko and the girl stood. Honoka, Umi, Kotori, Hanayo and Eli seemed to already notice their presence, Niko still flustered while Maki, she heard them but she doesn't know where they were before Nozomi pointed it.

"there…!" Nozomi said cheerfully.

Rin tried to do what she was told, but it was a lot harder than she imagined…she couldn't see anything other than the room's window…

"Good luck, Rin-chan!" Hanayo whispered,

Kotori, Umi, and Honoka seems to be very enthusiastic to know how it will go, while Eli remained uninterested in the idea…

Expanding the team is what Nozomi always dreamed of, but not really what she wanted since it could mean that her place could be replaced….

Though when she decided to just take a little glance—she could see long chains, created between the short orange cat-like girl and the girl that seems to be not that new to Eli. Is anyone else seeing that? Or is it just her….?

Why didn't Reiko mention it?

Did she not see that?

Or she's just pretending to not see that?

Eli could've always been anxious about the souls they met and be 'friends' with them… but that thought was brushed off as she noticed that Reiko finally noticed the very same effect created between the two…

"W-Wait! Please stop focusing! She is doing it wrong!" Reiko shouted.

Nozomi tilts her head,

"Huh…why?"

Honoka, Kotori, Umi, and Hanayo seemed to be flustered as well while Maki immediately steps in front of Rin.

"Hey,S —…" and before Maki was able to finish, a different force was created between the two…

Maki got shoved away—but she just doesn't know where that came from, or what may happen next….

"R-Rin-chan!" Everyone except for Eli, Niko and Maki shouted in panic.

This became an unexpected turn of events— Rin suddenly pulled the girl soul inside her body…

"What's happening here?!" Niko said as she finally sees that something is indeed wrong with the cat-like girl...

She acted like she was being shocked by electricity—just for a moment before she suddenly turned calm.

"Ha—she pulled me in!" Rin suddenly said—even though her voice is slightly different, but the way she talks is completely different…

"W-whoa…. Aiko-chan…." Reiko said.

"A-Aiko….?" They asked,

"D-Don't tell me…Rin is possessed?!" Maki raises her eyebrows.

"More like…she made herself possessed!" Nozomi corrected.

"How did she even do that?!" Maki asked in her surprise.

"U..Usually…that kind of ability is learned by a high-tier priest…on a medium…not by themselves…." Reiko said.

"W-wait…this is a high tier ability?!" Nozomi exclaimed.

"Yes…. Not many are able to pull one soul to enter one medium with a soul inside it…well…she just did that by mistake…so…. I don't know anymore… how you all could do these things!?" Reiko said.

"O-Oi! Rin! Can you hear me?!" Maki shakes the orange haired girl.

"W-waaahh! You're so rough!" the orange haired girl—which is no longer Rin said as she cowers.

"She certainly can hear you, just can't talk except—…." Before Reiko finished her sentence, Maki already heard her talking…

"M-Maki-chan! Please help-nya!"

Eli was able to hear that as well, though the others doesn't seem to hear her.

"—…you have a very-very-high tier listening ability…like a princess!" Reiko continued.

"Uuhh..someone please take me out of here! I don't know how!" Aiko said with Rin's face and voice.

"D-Don't panic! Aiko-chan! Uh…I'll have to call Yuki-chan for this! She knows better!" Reiko said before she quickly flies away.

"W-Wait! Reiko!" Umi tried to hold her, but Reiko already left…

"W-what should we do now?!" Kotori said in panic.

"Uh…don't panic…we can wait for Yuki-chan to come…" Nozomi said.

"Y-you can't do anything about that?!" Maki complained.

"N-Not really…I've never knew this kind of thing was even possible…"

"R-Rin-chaaan! Please come back!" Hanayo begged as she jumps onto the orange haired girl's body and begins to shake her shoulder.

"Oohh! Maybe we should just spend some time!" Honoka said.

"But it's so tight here-nya! I feel like I'm getting squished-nyaaa!" Rin said—which was only heard by Maki and Eli.

"We can't! Rin is being squished!" Maki said.

"W-what?! Am I heavy?!" Aiko exclaimed in panic.

As the team started to become even more panicked, Eli rolled her eyes. Though when her eyes set on the purplenette—who seemed to somewhat enjoy her time panicking with the team….

She knows well that her heart gripped tightly from the jealousy…she wished that there never was anyone, who can make her intrigued with the scene other than her…

Remembering the speech from Niko before…

She thought…

Perhaps, Niko was right that she is being demanding and selfish…

…and perhaps she was also right that she just wants her right to exist…

But now that she really-really thinks about it…after all the thought that she had during her lone time before….

Is it worth it for Nozomi to have someone as selfish and demanding as her? Someone who wants to have her all for herself...or better to be said as someone who wants to imprison her for herself…

To see how happy she looks…to see how much she enjoys the freedom…

Is it really going to be too much for her…?

With all the lies she made just to make Nozomi feel comfortable around her—by giving her enough space to breath and share her cheerful and goofy act with another person, other than her…

She knows that it will take a lot of changes—because she is selfish and she doesn't know how to change those wishes in her heart…

How many times did people call her mean?

How many times did people tell her that she is cold hearted?

And how many times did people call her a selfish jerk?

Surely, those weren't counted by her since she never cared about herself…

But when she tries to imagine how Nozomi—the one that she took so much interest in, calling her with all that…

Well... she can care nothing…of course… she has heard that before…

But why…?

Why does she feel scared to be insulted again?

It doesn't have to come out from her lips, knowing that Nozomi thinks that way about her, making her feel uncomfortable…

Maybe she shouldn't have met her…

Maybe she shouldn't have known her…

It's better that she never knew her….

So that she can stay true to herself…

So that she doesn't have to try scarring herself with an attempt to change…

She never liked the life granted to her…

She never wanted it…

What made her worthy of having such a beautiful and caring person like Nozomi?

Even though she knows that Nozomi likes her as well…

She knows that she is not the best for her…

…and a best friend… will always give the best for her best friend…

All these thoughts were breaking her heart, Eli stood before she quickly walks to the door of her room. She was about to open it, but then remembers that she doesn't have the keys…

…and knowing that if she makes a sound, she will take the attention of the panicking group…

Eli shook her head, deciding to enter with the ability that she remembers to have used before…

When she enters, the girl who was stuck in Rin's body saw that…

"Ah…that kyuubi…" she pointed,

Everyone immediately turns their eyes to where Eli was.

"Ericchi….?" Nozomi raises her eyebrow—surprised that she couldn't find Eli anywhere…

She feels like something was stabbing her deeply with that founding… she could've been panicking about that too but…something else made her feel wrong…

Has she neglected her for too long?

Is she angry at her?

Again…?

It doesn't make sense that she was so quick at making decisions about leaving her here…

Nozomi gloomed to the event, smiling bitterly as she realizes that…

Maybe this is why they shouldn't date…just like what Eli said to Niko….

"Eli-senpai left…." Umi said sadly,

"Uhm….she must've had a rough day… we could've cared more about her…" Kotori said.

"Where did she leave though?" Honoka asked.

"She went into the room…" Aiko said.

"Heh…she must be feeling left out again… I have to say I've never seen anyone as demanding as her…" Maki said.

"You're the one to say, Spoiled Princess!" Niko said.

"S-Shut up… anyhow… you should go look for her, Nozomi-senpai…" Maki said.

"Yes…I think you're the only one who can talk some sense into her…." Niko said.

"Wait…does anybody not question as to how she entered a locked room?" Hanayo asked.

"Huh? Well...you're certainly right… I have the keys here with me…" Niko said.

"You're right…I didn't hear her opening the door…" Maki said.

"Through the windows?" Honoka asked,

"We didn't hear the window opening—and it's not even open right now!" Umi said.

"Maybe she entered the wrong room?" Kotori asked.

"Let's check…." Niko said as she quickly stands up, followed by everyone else.

"Wait!" Nozomi said, holding the group from moving any further…

Nozomi fakes a smile at them,

"It's fine… let's just leave her alone…" she said.

"What are you saying… we need to justify that we are not neglecting her… and it's not even midnight yet…" Niko said.

"Y..yeah…if it's midnight, that creepy woman will look for me!" Aiko said.

"Creepy…woman….?" Everyone turns their gaze to the girl.

"Y-yep! She is so creepy! She always talks about me being her true love!" Aiko said.

"Oh…I think I know who…." Maki smirked.

"Why don't you…. make yourself transparent or something…?" Nozomi asked.

"I don't know how…and…during midnight and at 4:44 PM or 4:44 AM…. I'm somehow visible to the living!" Aiko said.

"Oh…." the group nods to the information that solved the whole mystery, told by the rumors…

"Putting that aside… we really need to check if she truly entered the room…" Niko said.

Nozomi was about to deny, but… maybe it's not that bad trying to figure that out.

She waited for Niko to head to the room and opened the door with the key that she has in her hand.

When the room opened—the light is still off and there is no sign of anyone inside.

"No one seems to be here…." Umi said as she peeks in along with Honoka and Kotori.

"Heh—turn the lights on…" Maki said.

They agreed to do it and Niko was the first to act. As the light goes on, they still find nobody inside…

"Hmm… looks like she really didn't come in here…" Niko said.

"But I swear I saw her entering this place…." Aiko said—still with Rin's voice and body.

"Well, why don't we just look around? Maybe she is hiding?" Honoka said.

It sounded silly in Nozomi's ears…she knows that Eli probably won't do that…or at least, she won't be doing it here…

"It can't be… she must have gone for some fresh air…I believe it's just a little cramped for her, nothing so serious…" Nozomi said.

"Really…? You two didn't look well with each other before…so…I'm afraid if she went home because of that…" Kotori said.

"That can't be…. she can't go home without her belongings…. It should still be here…right?" Nozomi said as she looks around the place.

She remembers well all the details of Eli's belonging and when she tried to look for the same objects…

She couldn't find it….

"Well…all I see here is my stuff and Niko's…." Maki said.

"Address me as your senior, will you?!" Niko protested.

"Not that it's any important now…but really… where did she keep her stuff?"

"I believe it should be inside the wardrobe…I saw her putting her stuff there…" Niko said as she headed to the wardrobe, and opens it just to find nothing but the stuff that was put on sale by the Inn.

Niko remain quiet as she smirks, surprised that there's nothing inside—and to the fact that she has always been holding onto the keys….

"How….could this have happened…." Niko said.

"Everyone remained silent, worried of what might happen next…"

Nozomi is still speechless as well..

She truly left the place…

Not that she can't…it just that everything feels so unsettling…

She wanted Eli to enjoy the adventure with them…. but Eli decided not to—and taking it as a chance to tell Nozomi how much she is unworthy to be committed with someone like Eli…

Maybe it really is over…

The next student council vice president will really not be her….

She has neglected her job…

She has neglected her as well….

The only thing she wanted to happen is….

To never meet with the blonde again….

And maybe to try to make things good again for everyone here…

"Maybe we're just not looking hard enough, but putting that aside, why don't we try to visit the room next to this…? Maybe she really entered a wrong room and stuck there with the strangers!" Kotori said.

"Y-yeah… let's go look!" Umi and Kotori quickly opened the door—everyone started to leave the room except for Nozomi who seemed to be still in shock from the occurrence…

She wanted to cry…but she couldn't…

Not in front of her new friends…

She wanted to call her name…

But she doesn't think that she is worthy enough to call her name again…

Someone as irresponsible as her…

Someone as unfaithful as her…

She is not the best for someone as great as Eli…

Someone as popular as her and someone who could charm any soul with just a glance...

Nozomi nodded to her own thoughts…she smiled bitterly and took a deep breath.

It's time to move on…

And it's really the time to enjoy her time with her new friends…

Forget about the old one…

Forget about the one she wanted to be intimate with…

There will never be a best friend… just friends and that is all she will ever have…

It's enough for her lifetime…

She is used to it….

…it's fine…

It really is fine for her….

Nozomi finally steps out of the room to find the rest of the girls waiting in front of the neighboring door, which was opened gently by a woman—dark purple long hair and with thick gothic make up. She doesn't look familiar to her… but….

She looked somewhat charming…

Did she fall in love again?

She doubts that…

It's nothing like what she felt for her first encounter with Eli…

"Aha—look at these cuties knocking the door in the middle of the night…" said the woman with a mature voice.

"Sorry for that… but, did you see anyone with light skin, tall, blonde hair and cold blue eyes?" Umi asked politely.

"Hmm...I certainly know someone like that, sweetie… but what do I know about this person? I'm a time traveler!" the woman said with a somewhat calm and happy voice.

"Time…traveler….?" Umi and everyone else tilts their head.

"Or more like… Universe traveler…?" the woman said again before a rough kick suddenly landed on her face—slamming her to the door next to her.

Someone with a familiar face as the first woman appeared, except she has short hair.

"I'm sorry…about my sister… her damned goofy head needs some breaking sometime…" she said.

"Oh…" the group responded to the lively scene…

"Eve…how could you be so cruel to me…." the woman said as she touches her cheek that got kicked.

"S-Shut your stupid mouth! Idiot! Let me do this!" the short haired woman said.

The group still flustered of what just happened, they wonder if everything is alright for the long haired woman…

"So…you all were looking for someone…?" the short haired woman asked.

"Yeah…blonde hair, tall, light skinned, and cold blue eyes…." They said.

"You need to be more specific, there are plenty of people we know to have such characteristics..…"

"Oh..ok! So…her name is Ayase Eli!" Honoka said.

Both of the woman raises their eyebrows…

"Honoka…they wouldn't know about her name!" Umi said.

"Oh…then..uhm…she has a gentle voice!" Honoka said.

"She barely talks with strangers…" Maki sighed.

"Then..uh…uhm…what else…?" Honoka seemed to be confused.

"She walks fast and she barely gives out her smile to others…high pony tails with a pair of untied hair on each side, long fingers, and she was sitting here since this afternoon…" Nozomi said as she approaches them.

The two woman turn their eyes to Nozomi, the long haired one was about to say something, but…

"No…we have not seen anyone like that…." the short haired one said.

"I see…then we should go…" Nozomi replied—still with a bitter smile coloring her lips.

"What are you saying, Eve…we saw her here before…!" the long haired one said.

"You idiot! We did not!"

"We did! Sheesh! You're getting old…"

"You are older than me…goofball! Besides, they probably are looking for her…and we don't know where she might have gone to by now!"

"Well, we've seen her so we know her…we should go help them looking for her…"

"Ah—it's fine…actually…we're not going to look for her…" Nozomi said.

The group seemed to be surprised to the statement.

"So…where should we start?!" the long haired woman said excitedly, completely ignoring the polite rejection.

"Aren't you listening…goof head?! They're not looking for her!"

"Oh—Oh! Let me introduce myself… my name, is Lilith Faith…and this is…Eve Faith, my lovely twins! We came from another world!"

"Idiot!" Eve kicked her sister again.

The group once again flustered. Eve took a deep breath, then she began to explain..

"….we didn't came from another world… we are just… always traveling…so we don't have any specific house…."

"Ah…I see…" Nozomi replied to her.

"Yep! It's a coincidence that we meet here, Nozomi-chan!" Lilith said.

"Ehh…? You know each other?" Maki asked.

Nozomi started to wonder as well…how could she know her name? She didn't introduce herself yet!

"No…I don't know her…" Nozomi said.

Eve already placed her palm on her face.

Those two seemed to be very suspicious…but…

Maybe Nozomi is already well known in the spirit world…?

Knowing from experience that she was always targeted for an attack because of her famous…or infamous name…

"Ohoho—then you all should call me the magical oracles! Ohohohohoho!" Lilith laughed proudly.

"Don't trust her…. She was just looking at the guest book from the lobby and guessing names…" Eve said.

"But—hey now, let's start looking! I believe she must be still somewhere around here!" Lilith said.

The group started to look at each other…wondering if they should agree to that…

"I mean—Let's just goooo!" Lilith said before she grabs Nozomi's wrist and starts running.

"W-wait there you idiot! Don't just hog someone you just met like that!"

* * *

Meanwhile…

Eli—has walked off to a big road, waiting for a public transportation to pass by. When she stood there, she already knew that she was being followed by one specific soul. A soul that she always knew to be around her—and always been bothering her in every way possible.

But Eli has never made an attempt to oppose her, not that she was interested of doing so….

Will it be dangerous to finally face her and make her realize that she was acknowledged?

Will that be a problem for her and will that be a mistake?

She will never know until she tries…

That's why— knowing that no one else is around right now…maybe it's a good time for her to turn herself around and let her know that she has noticed her….

"Explain yourself or stop following me…" she said coldly...

The black dressed woman remained silent.

Eli waited her for a while, though because she has not made a response, Eli sighed and turns her sight away from her.

When Eli looks into a different way— the black dressed woman flashed and appear right in front of her. Eli was slightly surprised but she was quick on gaining her composure…

"I'll explain myself…" the woman in black dress said.

Eli frowned slightly, but since she was at least answered her demand anyway….

The woman in the black dress guided the blonde to a place,

Somewhere far but quick to be reached with the level of spiritual power that Eli possesses currently. It was a temple—an abandoned temple with no living but plenty of spirit world creatures. Some has attempted to attack them and whenever they did, the blonde and the black dressed woman countered quickly and devoured them whole. Some started to cower from their presence…

They fear them…in fact… they all do.

"….and you know that you've always been a nine-tailed fox?" the woman in black asked.

"…not until that day… I think I was awakened from the extreme fear I felt as I was abducted by Hanako…"

"You knew from that day?" the woman in black dress asked.

"Not really…I was still…thinking and doubting myself about that… but then you told me about myself…and it cleared everything up for me…. so… thank you…" Eli replied.

"You're welcome… I'm surprised that Toujou Nozomi didn't tell you anything…."

"Can we please not talk about her? I don't want anyone to talk badly about her…"

"I didn't mean to make her sound bad…in fact, I was trying to tell you that she really cares about you.. I believe she was just scared to hurt you—or make you feel down…."

"What could possibly make me feel down from telling me about who I truly am…" Eli replied.

"Perhaps she knew how much your life would change, if you knew…"

"So…basically, you're saying that she is trying to make me not fulfill what I was born for?"

"Some people believe in freedom of living to be more important than living for a reason…she has a good intention… you shouldn't blame her…" the woman in black dress said.

"You're certainly right… she is…too kind….for someone like me…" Eli turns her sight down.

"Now-now, you've made a decision to leave her with her life… I bet she will move on… she is a mature girl and everyone knows that…" the woman in black dress replied.

"I know…." Eli smiled bitterly.

The woman in black giggled,

"It's time for you to move on too… forget everything in your life and get on serious business. Maybe your fate to meet her is not to fall in love, but to realize and learn about everything you need… You're a nine-tailed fox… a guardian…a holy beast…. You're born to understand what humans need…also to be born to keep the world's balance… you're not the only one, but plenty of others are as well born like you…and most of the time, they refuse to neglect their duty and become a priest that guard each of the open door between worlds.…"

"It's a little too complex for me… can you explain it in a better detail?"

"Ah—well… between this world and the spirit world… we have a lot of doors to pass through…those who live, will stay here and those who die, have to move to the spirit world… that rule is fixed and can't be changed… that's why we need guardians to stay in each door…so that the ones who enter the spirit world will never leave and the ones who are living, are getting a lower risk of getting abducted inside…"

"Why would any dead abduct the living?"

"Simple, so that they could eat their soul and be stronger…. everyone wants to be stronger in the spirit world… eating each other will be too hard and challenging, that's why the living is a better target for them…"

"I see…." Eli replied. She seems to be intrigued with the idea…

"...so…here are two deals you can make from that…." the black dressed woman said, taking all the attention from the blonde...

"You can be a guardian here…. Since…well…as you can see…there are no guardians here…. Or…" the woman pauses, she smiles lightly,

"…you can be my loyal pet… I promise I'll treat you nicely…and feed you well…"

"….a pet….?" Eli frowned slightly,

"Don't be offended, but that's what you can be… you're a fox soul after all…"

"Well, what's so different between those choices…?"

"A guardian will stay here and wait for souls to come…and judge if they are worthy to pass through the door or to be swallowed to fulfill your hunger… a pet… well…you can stay with your life…but you will have to come with me at night, have a nice stroll and hunt for unnecessary souls… there will be much more fun involved…of course… I didn't call my pet for nothing…"

"Sounds a little fishy to me…can I be introduced to these things first….?" Eli replied.

"Of course you can! If that will help you to decide…."

"Thank you…." Eli replied again.

* * *

Meanwhile, back to the Inn…

"A-aah! Yuki-chaaan! You're finally here!" Aiko said as she noticed the Snow Girl come by with Reiko…

"Y-yeah! Rin-chan has been waiting for you!" Hanayo said.

"I'm sorry! The distance is ridiculously far!" the snow girl said.

"Now-now, just how can we get Aiko to leave Rin's body…?" Maki asked.

"Hhmmm…" the snow girl tried to get closer to the orange haired girl…—who is not herself right now…

"We just need to do this…." Yuki said as she grabs Aiko's hand—which was quickly pulled out from Rin's body… and the rest of the parts didn't delay right after…

"Oh…." Maki and Hanayo raises their eyebrows—surprised that it's such an anti-climatic scene, compared to the panic caused by everyone earlier…

"aahhh! I'm free again!" Aiko said.

"W-whoa…I finally can breath again-nya!" Rin said.

"Hehe… by the way, where are the others?" Yuki asked.

"uhm… Niko-senpai, Honoka-senpai, Umi-senpai, and Kotori-senpai are with someone who said herself to be… Eve Faith… they're looking for Eli-senpai! Then Nozomi-senpai went with Eve Faith's twin, Lilith! Also to look for Eli-senpai…."

"Where did she go?" Yuki asked.

"We don't know…but it seems serious…" Hanayo replied.

"hey, don't tell them I said this…but…Eli is just jealous of us…"

"Jealous….of us…?" Hanayo flustered.

"Yeah…. She is… well…she is interested in Nozomi….if I can describe her, I'll say she is a clingy person… I can't blame her though since…she doesn't know about us and we seem to be busy with our own business with Nozomi while she is around…"

"Oh—She feels left out… and feels like her existence doesn't matter to us…?"

"Yeah…something like that…."

"It's rude of her to do that…I mean… it's not like we meant to do that to her…" Hanayo said sadly.

"Yeah-nya…we just don't know how to reach her and scared to offend her-nya…." Rin added.

"I know… a complex person…. Not many people are able to reach someone like her, maybe Nozomi is like the only one who can…."

The Snow girl and Reiko sighed—they know that sort of thing always seem to happen….

Aiko though, she seems to be very intrigued by the story…or perhaps, she seems to have something to say….

"Mmm-mmm….I think we should help them to come back!" Aiko said.

"Eh….why? It's their personal problem…we shouldn't really interfere…" Maki said.

"But you said it yourself that she was jealous of us, right? We should tell her straight away that we didn't mean to take Nozomi-san away like that!"

"I don't think it can be that simple…" Maki sighed.

"Then, let's at least help them to make up with each other! I feel like they both are about to give up on being friends!"

"In my opinion though, I think we should leave it be… the only one who can help are they themselves…" Maki replied.

"Fine, then we should just encourage them to not give up! There must still be hope!" Aiko said innocently.

"Aiko-chan…why are you so persistent…? It's so rare to see you like that." Reiko said.

"Well—uh…when I see that girl…uhm…Ayase Eli? She keeps staring at Toujou Nozomi, her eyes are sad and it's like she is about to break… I always had the urge to tell her that she shouldn't give up!"

Yuki giggled,

"There…Aiko…you're still into that, remember the time you did that to someone?"

"A-aah…well….i believe Ayase Eli isn't going to do it like that creepy woman!" Aiko said.

"Did anything happened between you and that creepy woman before…?" Maki asked

"Well…there's one night, she chased me all the way around the building…I was so scared and the only thing I could think of was to float above the pool! But then that creepy woman chased me there too! So I had to change the rule that was written on the board about the cleaning duty system….but she is still trying to jump into the pool when it's dry anyway!"

"Eh…this is kind of rare-nya!" Rin said.

"Uhm…Rin-chan…did you hear what she said?" Hanayo asked.

"Yup…I can see her too now-nya! Also, the two others! Uhm…Reiko-chan and… Yuki-san?"

"Amazing! You were still learning before!" Reiko said.

"Maybe the shock accidentally opened her sixth sense….do you at least remember what you did to Aiko-chan before?" Yuki said.

"Sort of-nya!" Rin replied.

"Good…! Then… hmm…I wonder if you can try to focus your mind in another way…" Yuki said as she tried to think…

"Yup! I think I can try-nya!" Rin said before she started…

Maki and Hanayo watched her, though they both have different thoughts of her attempt, while Hanayo is very interested to know how successful it will be, Maki feels like it's somewhat silly to do what Rin is trying to do right now.

By all means, to focus to get herself possessed is stupid…

Or so she thinks…

Maki wasn't expecting anything to happen to her—but Rin apparently, focused her power and linked a chain to Maki—which she couldn't see.

Aiko once again got pulled in—and this time, to Maki.

"Gg-hhgh?!" Maki protested… no one seems to hear her but the snow girl…

"W-waah! I'm inside!" Aiko said with Maki's voice.

"U-Uwaah! It's so strange to hear her voice in such a cheerful tone!" Hanayo said.

"R-really?" Aiko asked.

"H-Hey! Get out! It's so cramped in here! Maki complained again.

Yuki giggled before she pulls Aiko out of Maki's body.

"There-there… now we all know that you're capable of using your ability!" she said.

"Hehe! Yep-nya!"

"I wonder if you can do it on an object as well…?" Hanayo said.

"I think so-nya!" Rin said.

"Quit playing with this already! We probably should worry about the rest of the team—or perhaps, we can just go ahead to our own search team!" Maki said.

"You're right, Maki-chan… we should go look for the stubborn head…!" Reiko said.

"By the way…." Yuki paused for a moment, trying to make sure everyone is paying attention to her…

"…I wonder if you're all aware of the danger of being around Eli…."

"We've heard…but why should we care…? It's not like we're not challenging the danger itself right now…" Maki replied.

The snow girl smiled faintly to the response.

"I see… now that you told me that…." she pauses again, taking a little look at her surrounding before she decided to continue…

"…..she has attracted the most dangerous soul ever existed…"

"The most dangerous soul….?" Hanayo tried to confirm about what she just heard.

"Yes… It's not the first time or anything, in fact, it's been three years since that soul decided to hang around her… she watches her from afar…paying attention to the growth of her spiritual power that keeps growing with unknown forces… I know who she is…and I know why she is there…."

"Care to tell us…?" Maki asked.

The snow girl remain silent, Reiko's face seems to change in despair, while Aiko seems to be still innocent about the topic.

They waited for a moment, until Maki was about to speak—but the Snow Girl beat her to it.

"I'll be in trouble if I say all this…but…." she pauses again…

"It's fine… if I'm lucky, I'll survive…" she continued.

"What is this all about…?" Maki asked.

"Being a legend is actually just our way to say that… we're all just a mere pet of this one specific soul…" The Snow girl said.

"One soul…?" Maki tilts her head.

"Yes… we're just… a pet… to collect souls….we could feed ourselves, but we are also meant to deliver some offerings as well… in return, we're protected by the union…and also be shared with other's haul when needed…"

"Sounds like a good thing somehow…" Maki said.

"It was… until we realized…that the bigger the union, the stronger she becomes… and now it's already too late for us to realize that she was actually a tyrant who planned to conquer both worlds…"

"How? Aren't spirits and this world, meant to be different?" Maki asked.

"Through Religion and Beliefs… when a religion is used by the living, it is a guide to live their life as a human being and as their way to express their gratefulness to God… it's good…but when a religion is used by the living to cause fear of the afterlife and to create a wall between each other…will cause a destruction…"

"Devide et Impera…." Maki said.

"Oh!" Hanayo quickly grasped the meaning.

"What is…Devide et Impera-nya?" Rin asked.

"To Divide and Conquer, a politic strategy… one will divide a large group into smaller, then they will conquer the smaller part one by one… they will also try to prevent the small group from uniting with the bigger one…" Hanayo explained.

"So you're saying…." Maki pauses.

"Yes… Nozomi and Eli… they could be a strong forces… and everyone here as well—will become one big group that will never be defeated…she knows about this—and scared if her place as the strongest will be replaced…that's why…she lurks in the dark, waiting for a chance to strike…and when she finds a way, she won't be easy to counter…"

"I see…so it is indeed our business to make them come back to each other…" Maki said.

"Exactly…"

"Let's go find one of them then-nya…!" Rin said cheerfully.

"Yeah! Let's go!"

* * *

Outside the Inn…

"Oh…so that's what you're all doing here…." A short haired woman said after Honoka explained her about what they were all up to…

"Yeah…are you familiar to that kind of spiritual experience, Eve-san…?" Honoka asked.

"Honoka… I think it's kind of embarrassing to tell her all that…" Umi sighed.

"Not really…I believe in all of your stories…" Eve replied.

Umi sighed, assuming that Eve is just being kind…

"Hehe! That's good!" Honoka said cheerfully.

"And about your previous question, I have plenty of stories with spiritual beings…"

"W-whoa?! Really?!" Honoka replied.

"Yep…hmm…my sister and I had a job, as a nurse in one specific clinic… one day, she told me, someone is about to die…and I was like, alright, that's like what happens everyday in the clinic…" Eve started, Niko, Honoka, Umi, and Kotori listens to her carefully and pays attention to the gestures.

"…and then she said again, someone else is going to die…. then I told her to stop guessing since she cannot know what God has in his plans… but then just right after she acted to be sad—and faking her damned cry, two person actually died…"

"W-whoa…is she really some sort of an oracle or something?!" Honoka asked.

"More like, I suspect her for doing something to those two! But then she has been with me all the time…But she still probably has done something to them the days before!"

"Like what…?" Honoka asked.

"Fucking them of course! Literally!" Eve exclaimed.

"W-whoa-whoa! Hey! They're under-aged to listen to that kind of story!" Niko complained.

"Huh? Really? I thought they were asking about spiritual experience…that's the only thing that came up on my mind…"

"It's spiritual experience! Not an adult joke!"

"It wasn't a joke! Besides! I remember that as a spiritual experience because after the two dead person were carried away from their room, she said 'just like what she had always said… How Spiritual! I can hear the dead screaming their soul out!'…. it doesn't even make any sense and it's not even the right sentence!" Eve complained again.

"Uh…your sister…sounds fun…" Umi smirked—trying to be as polite possible.

"She is certainly not! Not after all the trouble she get me into!"

And Eve continued to rant.

* * *

In the other side of the Inn outskirt,

For some reason, Nozomi and Lilith are standing in the very place of where Eli stood before she went off with that one specific soul…

"Nozomi-chan…are you, like…very sure she was standing here before….?"

"Well…you asked me what I would do if I were in her shoes…so here is where I will stand—since… it's much easier to find a public transportation and it's not too far from the Inn…"

"Hmm…I see… so you think, she will take a public transportation…?"

"I'm certain that will be what she will do… unless, she changed her mind and decided to return back to the Inn… but…hmm…why would she return to the Inn anyway? I don't think Ericchi would do something like that since—that's really not in her character to return to where she has trouble with…"

"You think she gives up easily…?"

"More like, she will always try to be effective…I don't think she will ever think this case as something serious…so…. I'm sure she will go home and start to do something more productive…."

"She will go home? Then…what about her feelings towards you…?" Lilith asked,

For a moment, Nozomi was so surprised to hear what she asked….it's like she knows what was up between them… but then, maybe this stranger is just teasing…

"Sheesh—that's not even funny…you know, but to be not a spoilsport, I think she will take that home with her!" Nozomi replied as she gives out a playful smile.

"I was really asking… what about her feelings to you…? Is she going to keep that to herself because you don't seem to need it…?"

Nozomi remained quiet again. Wondering who or what this person truly is….

"If you keep that up, you two will have to carry home your own feelings, which might be built in such a long time… are you going to let it go waste?"

"Now-now…that's a little too personal, don't you think…?" Nozomi replied.

"Is that your way to tell me that you're giving up too? If you do, who will strive for it? Are you going to let it end that way?"

Nozomi kept quiet about it…

"…when you're faced in such a trouble you can't get out from, all you have to do is to remind yourself that you're a creature who is granted with a lot of senses… add more creativity to it and you will somehow find your way through…" Lilith said with a smile on her face.

"It's easier said than done…" Nozomi replied with a slight bitter smile.

"…did you know, meeting someone who has already died, will always be impossible… yet here you are—granted with senses to see and communicate with a dead person…"

"…This and that are different…I don't think it's possible for me to be…creative on solving this problem…. I mean… we are not meant to solve every single problem in this world, right…?"

"…creativity comes from and to them that are brave to be different, despite any difference they have, it's always going to be impossible when we never even try. And it's going to be difficult if we never want to understand…" Lilith replied again.

"I…I know…but…" Nozomi turns her eyes away…

"….Toujou Nozomi! Listen to me… Do you want to understand yourself…? About what you truly desire and about what she truly desires…?"

"How did you even know my full name?! I haven't—"

"…Do you want to love yourself and her?! Do you want to believe in yourself and her? Do you want to make what you believe to be impossible to be possible?"

"…I do…but…" Nozomi once again tried to reason,

"While you're here sulking, someone else has passed through one limitation—to recover a memory into reality, scavenging the past to build the future, even though it's not yet a perfection… it will surely be in the further future… "

"I don't have much of that future you're talking about! By all means! Ericchi and I aren't meant to be together! I have always pissed her off in the end…and she has admitted that as well! Plus! Why are you so nosy about me?! You're just a stranger!"

"Shouldn't that make you ashamed of yourself? I'm a stranger and I understand your feelings more than yourself!"

"How did you even have that much confidence…!?"

"Do you want me to share some to you?"

"It's not a joke! I think you're too nosy about me! You're no one for me!"

"Yet you cared much about what I said… Look at you… you're starting to cry…"

Nozomi was so surprised as mentioned it, and decided to lightly touch her face to check. All the doubts were shoved away when she truly feels the tears drip. Something she didn't even realize … It's been a long time for her to not cry…

"See…? You do, because deep inside, you know what I said is true… do you want to hide from all this…? Do you want to always deny what people see you as…? You're breaking inside, and yet you act tough so no one sees your broken heart…"

"Then what should I do…? She ran from me because I'm such a irresponsible person…."

"Do you think she is truly running away from you because you're such a bad person for her? Maybe it's the opposite… maybe she ran from you because you're such an adorable person who has so much happiness in your current state of life…maybe she doesn't want to ruin that because she loves you that much…"

"It's too much like a dream to have that sort of thing…. I'm very sure Ericchi is just tired of me…"

"Are you really not going to count the times she spent with you? All the happiness she had with you… are you going to let it come to an end just because she left without even giving you any clear reason…? Are you merciless about that?"

"It's not like that! I mean… why would I try so hard to achieve someone who is not even interested in me… I always believed that she can have all—…."

"—she wouldn't stick around you if you were the one she chose… I thought you have realized that…"

Nozomi pauses to her statement—which made her realize that she could just think that way…

"But….the truth now…she ran from me…."

"Let me ask you this again… did she tell you why? Did you hear that from her own lips? Do you truly believe what she says to others is what she will say to you?"

"Maybe the truth is what she says to others…. And the lie is on me… I'm such a problem for her…"

"Do you not think of a reason why she lied to you? Do you still think that she is there with you for another reason than to be with you…?"

"What's so good about me…?"

"Yes–what's so good about you that makes her stay with you? Are you not going to appreciate that and judge her as what you've judged her as…? You're not a saint, you're not a Billionaire… you're not the hottest girl in the country… yet she stayed and she was there around you…"

"Maybe that was what happened…but—…." Nozomi tried to form another reason,

"….even if you're going to say that you've screwed up something, you still have to go and make sure that she comes back to you—explain everything and make up with each other… don't let all the effort go to waste… Don't be broken! But go for broke!" Lilith cuts in.

Nozomi swears she can't be more confused with what she said, but… at least she understands that she was trying to tell her to keep going.

"Love is not a straight line… love… has a lot of curves… it could be smooth, it could be not… you can draw a heart with numbers….but you can only draw an erecting dick with a straight line…a very thin and ugly erecting dick"

With that Nozomi nearly snorted at the last sentence, she didn't expect that coming.

"You're such a goofball…" she said as she smiled sincerely.

"Not that you're any different, you have your own way to be a goofball—but that's what you truly are, right? Stop thinking about anything serious, keep smiling, strive for what you want, and get it with your wit… after all, that's why she likes you, right?"

"Not really…. I…I don't know…" Nozomi tried to calm herself.

"You're so out of character! Come back to your senses, believe in yourself… be confident! Take your witty ass to the next level and stop yourself from being an angsty character! Even if you're a good candidate for an angst drama, I just believe that you fit better in a comedy drama… more fun, more laugh, and more smiles…" Lilith said.

"Alright… I'm sorry…about before…" Nozomi said.

"Yup, all good, I understand that love can make people get out of character… now, close your eyes…" Lilith said,

Nozomi decided to close her eyes,

"….and tell yourself… you will certainly find her and make up with her…"

Nozomi nodded again and she started to think of it…

"….you're going to be more stubborn on being her friend… you're also going to advance for real…and…. You will also—tell her what you truly want from her and for yourself…"

Nozomi nodded again to the sentence…

"Great! Good luck on that!" Lilith said cheerfully.

"Got it!" the purplenette opened her eyes…

She thought she will find the mysterious woman in front of her eyes—but…

"Lilith-san…?" she called as she looks around—finding no one around her…

* * *

Meanwhile…

Niko, Honoka, Umi, and Kotori seems to be really flustered while listening to Eve rant about her sister… she even started to stomp on the ground…

"Hey…is this just my feeling, or ….she actually likes her sister…?" Niko said.

"I'm pretty sure she does… with that much detail in the story—and the way she responds to her sister…." Umi replied.

"Such a complicated person…." Kotori said.

Honoka remain silent as she looked like she is intrigued with the story Eve was telling…

"….and then, she—…!" Eve suddenly paused.

"Eh…? What's wrong…?" Honoka asked. The others also started to pay attention to what may be happening…

"…Hmm…time is up for her… Looks like I'll have to return as well…" she said.

"E-Eh? What time?" Honoka asked.

"Oh…uhm..never mind that… is there anything I can do to help other than look for this….troublesome asshole?"

"Oi-Oi! Watch your mouth!" Niko said.

"Uhm…I hope you're not taking this as something that makes us hate her… I mean…we don't hate her… we just…hardly understand her…."

"Well, do you have to hate an asshole?" Eve said.

"uhm…that's…." Umi remain silent.

"Nobody is perfect, not you, not anyone else… if you hate someone because they're such an ass, then everyone will hate everyone at one point…"

"What does that even mean…?" Niko asked.

"It means—you're an ass! You are an ass too! Everyone are assholes!" Eve said as she points to everyone's face.

The younger girls once again flustered with what she said…

"…but I'll accept all of you just the way you are…I'm just that kind…" Eve said proudly.

"….such confidence…where does that come from…" Niko smirked.

"I got it from my sister of course…" Eve replied proudly again.

"It's a weird way to see the world… but…I suppose… it's good in a way…" Umi commented.

"Y…yeah…" Kotori agreed

Eve sighed with a hint of pride on her face,

"Hmm…I should try again on my experiment… she is living in a short time…" she said before she just suddenly disappeared.

The four of them widen their eyes in surprise— did that person just do something abnormal to common sense? Or perhaps she just forgot to pretend to become an ordinary person?

Either way…

Maybe somethings have to remain a mystery. All the rants sounded unreal anyway—not with a common sense… but at least they can continue searching for Eli.

* * *

At the Inn…

Hanayo, Maki, Rin, Aiko, Reiko and the Snow girl ran around the hallways as a manly woman chased them …

"W-Why are we running again?!" Maki asked.

"Huff-huff-Because of that woman-huff-huff!" Hanayo replied.

"D-Don't you just wish that she couldn't see us?!" Reiko said.

"W-wait…what? She can see you all?" Maki replied.

"I can sense it! She can see us! This is why not everyone are meant to be able to see us!" Yuki said.

"Oohhh—ladies! Aiko-chan! please come back and let's go on a date!" the manly woman said as she stretches her arm forward.

"N-No wonder you're always scared! It wasn't just because you somehow become visible around specific hours—but because she is able to see you!" Maki said.

"U-uuhh…Someone please heeelllpp!" Hanayo shouted loudly.

The staffs around the hotel were not able to do anything as their owner is involved in the scene…

"W-We need to split up!" Yuki said.

"Y-yeah-nya! I'm going here!" Rin who have been running in front said before she quickly takes a turn…

"W-wait! Rin-chan!" Hanayo followed her.

"W-wait for me!" Aiko said as she also runs after them.

"A-Aiko-chaan!" Reiko shouted as she followed her friend.

Yuki and Maki decided to go to another way…but then— the manly woman wasn't even chasing them, so they decided to stop and take a nice break.

"Sh-sheesh…. Why is she so desperate…" Maki said.

"I don't know…but that's really scary… we shouldn't have left from our safe spot…" Yuki said.

"Yeah…in the end, we couldn't even look for Eli…." Maki said.

The snow girl and Maki sighed,

"She is so troublesome… why does Nozomi even like her…" Yuki said.

Maki remain silent.

"….love works in a weird way, don't you think?" she continued as she set her eyes on the red haired girl.

"I have no idea…. But perhaps it's just complex because they decided to make it that way…" Maki replied.

"I don't think they intentionally do that though… maybe they are just…afraid to hurt each other or losing each other, when they know they don't fit for each other..…"

"Quite exactly what I'm saying… I believe they're actually a good couple. They are meant for each other… they might be different, but they were able to fulfill each other's needs because of that…yet they didn't remember that and instead became scared of the future where they might not be able to please each other…. "

"You believe that too? Well…me too!" The Snow girl said with a big smile.

"Every time I see them looking at each other— I always feel like they are always looking at each other with a passionate gaze… it's so easy to tell that they both are in love…but then, there is also always this thing— where they just think that they're not meant for each other…and that just made it worse as they saw that their crushes are getting better each day… in fact, they are actually always growing together… physically and mentally!" she continued to blabber again, Maki can't believe that she will have to hear that sort of thing from someone like Yuki. She can't see her, but at least she heard her and can imagine how she will act energetic when speaking about it.…

"…Ahhh! Romance drama is the best! Especially when I get to act as the third person who just exists to motivate the main female character!"

"Huh…the heck is that? I don't get it…" Maki smirked.

"It's always been my childhood dream, to act in a romance drama… I don't mind angsty ones… as long as the main couple end up together!"

Maki remain silent with her smirk.

"Then-then, don't tell her this, other than observing Eli, I also have been observing her everyday! I know that she touches herself at night while—…." The snow girl continued, Maki doesn't even want to hear what's next…

Luckily, before the story went too far i, the other group ran into them…

"W-whaaa! Maki-chan!" Rin and the others shouted at the same time.

"E-eeeh?! D-Don't you dare run to me!" Maki is about to run again, but…

"Uh…why are they running now? No one is chasing…" Yuki said.

"Huh?"

Maki tried to look again carefully—truly, no one is chasing them anymore!

* * *

The place itself is dark and dusty,

A sound of someone walking up to the wooden stairs—and a sound of someone's soul, begging to be released…

"H-hey! S-Stop this! I'm sorry about before…ok!?" a manly woman said to the blonde, who coldly dragged her soul up— heading to a black dressed woman who waited for her arrival…

"I beg you!" the manly woman said to her again, which was ignored completely.

"….Stop!"

There was no response until they finally stop at the ruined temple…

"I didn't expect you to come back with a fresh soul…"

"You told me to take a worthless soul…that's what you're getting…" the blonde replied as she shoved down the manly woman soul down to the ground mercilessly.

"You're right… I didn't specify if it should be a living soul or a long dead one…." the black dressed woman chuckled,

"…and the fact that you did it in just a few seconds impressed me…"

"It's just a few miles from here… and I've learned something else from you as well…let's just say that as my way to thank you some more.…" Eli replied.

"Excellent…! That's the way!"

"Are you going to teach me some more if I'm to be your right hand…?" Eli asked.

"Yes…of course…"

"Then…that will be what I choose…" Eli replied surely as she averts her eyes. Trying to ignore everything that might be coming up to her ear once this path she chose was revealed to the purplenette…

* * *

 **Alright, that's it for now.**

 **By the way! A request just came by and its TsubaHono Main Pairing. I actually didn't plan to do any more fiction, but i can't resist it because the AU i planned for them is actually...Digimon AU.**

 **This fiction will comes to an End soon too so , yeah! Incoming FF is TsubaHono with Digimon AU! it won't be rated M though...i think...**


	16. Ch16: Expression of the Real Emotions

**Ok! Thanks for the enthusiasm in reviews/comment/faves/follows!**

 **Also thanks to crimson for edits! Enjoy~**

* * *

"….Will you hate me….?"

A request that Nozomi never wished to hear, came out from the blonde…

She is certain that this is just another dream—she wished to wake up right now, but the idea was still too unclear for her to let go of this dream…

She could see—everyone… everyone in this world…dying and disappearing one by one…

But then the crossroads she currently stood on is already one big mystery. She needs to contemplate it before everything else—what does this crossroad mean to her? Is it the crossroad where she always passed through when getting herself home?

"….will you move on from me…?"

Once again, another request was put out, one that is the most painful request to have ever been said…

"But….why? Are you going to die for something?" Nozomi tried her best to smile,

"….I want you to say that I've died in your life… I want you to stop caring about me…"

"….I hope this is not just because I'm happy with someone else, remember…that I told you… we will always be a best friends…"

"I don't want that…I don't need you to try being so kind to me…. All I want from you is for you to tell me that you hate me…"

"But I really don't hate you, Ericchi…how could I tell you that I hate you if I truly don't?"

"Soon, you will see….that I am the person you hate the most in your entire life….you don't want to be my friend… you want to be my enemy…."

"That's weird… I believe I told you that I want to be your friend….or… your girlfriend if possible…"

"You haven't seen who I truly am… you didn't know about what I truly want for the world…"

"I know that you hate everyone… but…didn't we promise to learn to love ourselves?"

"….love will never exist in me… I am full of hate…and as for what I seek…" the blonde pauses for a moment…

Nozomi remains silent, trying to be as calm as she could…

"…I'm just seeking for knowledge about myself… and it was granted by someone else…who I don't even care about…."

"That's strange, Ericchi… why don't you just tell me that you love someone else? Less pain…" Nozomi replied with a bitter smile…

"I don't love…. That's what I have to remind you over and over… I hate everyone… I hate this world…. And I hate you… that's why… you have to hate me…."

* * *

"Toujou-san!" A voice came up from nearby woke her up from her own nightmare.

When she looks up, she could see the face of some student council members looking at her with a frown on their faces…

"Wake up! The Council President will be announced soon, you need to be there because you're going to be the vice president for Ayase-san, right?"

Nozomi doubted for a moment, should she still call herself as the vice president?

"Get up! Toujou-san! Don't keep everyone waiting for you to make a move!"

For some reason, hearing that… Nozomi felt something firing her up, telling her to make a move on that specific person today… but…how? She figures that almost everyone she knows encouraged her, even from a stranger that she met last night…

But still...What about the dream—or the nightmare she just had?

Is that a sign of anything?

"Toujou-san!" the members called her again.

"O-oh! Ok! I'll go ahead!" Nozomi said as she quickly stands up from her seat, heading to where she should be…

* * *

The Auditorium,

All students are gathered in the very place. While waiting for the time of the announcement, Honoka, Kotori and Umi has been talking about the news that made today's newspaper…

"Did we meet this person before?" Umi asked

"I'm not sure myself, but Maki-chan keeps telling me that we need to be aware of this news since it took place when we were searching for Eli-senpai…it could be a sign for something since we didn't get to find her anywhere last time... "

"Did you see Eli this morning?" Umi asked.

"Uhm…not really…" Honoka replied.

"Yeah, I know, and it's weird since I always see Eli-senpai coming to school with Nozomi-senpai…" Kotori said.

"This might be turning ugly…" Umi said.

The microphone is being turned on, an announcer walks up to the stage…

"Everyone…" she started.

"….today, we will announce the winner of the student council voting…"

And the students start to whisper to each other…

"Is it Ayase-senpai again this year?"

"Probably…and the vice president will be Toujou-senpai…"

"Ahhhh—I'm so jealous! Toujou-senpai always has her heart!"

"They've been inseparable… it's almost impossible to not see them together…"

The trio remain quiet as they listen to the conversation, wishing that it was also what truly happened between them right now.

For about ten minutes, they listened to the speeches that were mostly ignored by half of the auditorium…

When they have finally reached the point of the speech….

"….and the winner is…!" a drumbeat from the speaker…

"Urgh…should this be exaggerated like this…?" Maki said—she seemed to be troubled.

"C-Calm down, Maki-chan… we're sure that we can always speak after this ceremony is over…" Hanayo said.

Rin remained silent, she keeps looking at the newspaper, making her wonder—what exactly happened that night? How didn't she know and how could she not know before the newspaper made it into a breaking news…?

It's so strange and it's so surprising for her…

She swears, she was just playing chase with the now-in-coma-person last night…

"…Ayase-Eli!" the announcer said plainly—it's like it's no longer a surprise even after the sound effect did its job.

Either way, everyone claps their hands , some started to scream her name like it wasn't just a simple student council president announcement.

The blonde walks up to the stage—last night's team could've sighed in relief that they could see Eli again, but… something stopped them from doing so…

Something is definitely wrong…

Eli is now surrounded by dark fog—perhaps those are only seen by their sixth sense, but still…

What exactly happened to her?

Eli walks to the microphone confidently… with a smug smile and yet cold eyes. It's hard to tell what exactly she is thinking right now, but it's pretty visible for some, that maybe—she is planning for something mischievous.

"….Good afternoon….everyone…." Eli started with a somewhat satisfied yet cold voice…

"….it's nice to see you all in this stage…again… thank you so much for trusting me for another year…." She continued again.

"I could just say all vision and mission—like every other year, but… after some nice brainstorming and thinking…I decided to just go ahead with the good news…."

"Good news…? What good news? I somehow feel like it's just another bullshit scene she is going to cause…" Niko mumbled.

"Shush! Niko-chan! don't be a bitter jelly!" said her classmate.

"Huh-what? Bitter jelly?!"

"Quiet!"

Niko pouts at her for that.

"….at this end of the week, we're going to hold another school festival—other than to welcome the new students, it is also purposed as my way to express my gratitude…."

Maki falls into a state of thought, as she hears the school festival being mentioned…

"So—…." Before Eli was able to continue, the auditorium door suddenly opens, causing a loud sound among the silent audience.

The audience turns their attention to her as well as the blonde who stood on the stage.

Nozomi stood on the very spot, right next to Principal Minami and a few other teachers who are standing next to the door.

"Sorry I'm late…." Nozomi said.

"Toujou… you could've used the back door…." Principal Minami said.

"Ah—you're right….I forgot!" Nozomi replied with a playful smile before she goes ahead and walks down to the stairs. Not paying much attention, she slipped on one of the ladder, straining her ankle and losing her balance and falling down from the stairs, causing almost all of the audience—including Eli herself, to be panicked.

She landed on the lowest ground, at first, everyone stayed silent—trying to know if everything was fine…

When she got back up on her feet, most of the audience sighed in relieve… Eli has to bite her lips, she really wanted to say all the hateful comment about the scene…she wanted to hurt her feeling as much as possible…but….

"Sheesh…I thought she was cooler than that…" said one of the students, it wasn't loud, but it reached the blonde ears…

"She really looked like an idiot…" said another student.

"I wonder why she is our vice president when she is just a retard…I mean, really? Entering from the front door, saying sorry that she is late and then falls down from a stairs?"

"It's just not her day…I suppose, but I heard she was slacking a lot…"

"She is just a lucky girl to have Ayase-senpai as her best friend…else, she could've just become that one girl who sits in the back and reads some random books all day…"

"I bet those nice marks she gets were also from Ayase-senpai, she must be nagging her to study a lot…"

"I wonder if she will ever graduate without Ayase…"

Hearing the commentary, Eli cringed. She doesn't know how her ears suddenly became much sharper towards such a thing…

She looks down to the purplenette who walks up to the stage, limping because of her injured ankle….

"Sorry I'm late, Ericchi…." Nozomi said with her cheerful smile—it's like she didn't hear all the cruel words that were said towards her…

"Go on continue your speech, I'm here now to help you…!" she continued as she quickly stood behind Eli.

"No one is getting your help here…." Eli said coldly—off her microphone to prevent anyone from hearing, other than themselves.

It hurt, but Nozomi always remembers to just keep going—make her face as thick as possible. She has to do it if she wants to make her move on her.

"….to continue what I said before…." Eli started her speech again.

Umi and Kotori look at each other as they sat on either side of Honoka, who has been holding the newspaper as well, she seemed to focus on what she wanted to talk about after and not on anything else…

"Uhm…Umi-chan, don't you think it's weird for Nozomi-chan to act that clumsy? She kind of reminds me of someone else…" Kotori said.

"Should I just say, 'bad things happen'? Maybe she is still trying to recover from the previous incident… I don't know if their relationship is getting any better from that day…"

"You mean, she's probably still anxious about it?"

"Maybe… I tend to get nightmares when I stumble into trouble…maybe she has that too and overslept…"

* * *

After the event,

The student council members started to tidy up all the equipments, Eli remained in the place to takes notes on objects that have returned to their rightful places, while Nozomi seemed to be very active on helping this time. She was even being much more communicative towards others—and also being super talkative towards Eli, who has been extremely quiet...

"…is this is it, Toujou?" the student council members asked,

"Yep—that's right! Everything minor has to be in the box and ones we often use has to be on the side of the room. Don't leave the microphone on the stand though! Keep it in the case!" Nozomi replied.

"Got it!"

They continue to move around again.

"Alright, that's done for the audio system, note them, Ericchi!" Nozomi said cheerfully. Eli still remained silent as she writes down what needed to be written.

They usually did it another way since Nozomi was always too lazy to pay attention to all details…but that wasn't even noticed by the experienced council members, since all they know is that Nozomi and Eli are always working together.

"Next object!" Nozomi said energetically.

But before she was able to say the details that need to be done, a group of girls ran in to the backstage…

"Nozomi-senpaii!" they shouted.

Nozomi turns her sight to them,

"Ah…what's up?" she replied.

"Here…check this out…" Maki said as she shoved her the newspaper.

The news is about the manly girl, who said to be the owner of the pool they visited before, falling into a coma and hasn't yet found a cause. Some doctors suspect that she tripped and fell in shock, leading to the unconsciousness.

"Ah…this…. hmm…I wonder why we didn't see this happening before…?"

"That's what I wonder too… we should go check it out…" Maki said.

"Y-yeah! We should-nya!" Rin said.

"Me too-me too! I think so!" Honoka said.

Kotori and Umi seemed to be quiet, they don't know if it's a good idea to ask…

"….maybe we can save her if she happens to be still around the Inn…" Hanayo said.

"My car will be ready in an hour, we're just going to do a quick check around the place and that's it… no more staying there for nothing…" Maki said.

"Yeah…I have to admit, what we did before was such a waste, the mystery wasn't even serious…but, that person needs to be saved…and I know someone here will not want to join so let's just ignore her and go ahead to do this actual important stuff…" Niko said.

Nozomi smiled wryly to what Niko stated,

"Well…I'll have to pass this time. We both have a lot of things to do… why don't you all go on ahead and solve it…? I'm sure you all can ask for the Snow Girl to help as well…"

"But—…" Maki tried to reason,

"That's right, we should just go without them. I'm sure we can do this with our own power…and there's Aiko-chan too, remember? Maybe she will help us too!" Kotori cuts in.

"I'll do my best to help as well… even though I believe we wouldn't need any violence this time…" Umi chimed in.

"Fine then, let's just go like this… I'm sure it will be a good chance to test our power…" Niko said.

"Our power? I'm pretty sure you're not included in that…" Maki said.

"Shush! You'll be surprised if I tell you what power I possess! I had some experiment done last night, thank me and my genius brain…" Niko said proudly.

"Or maybe you were just doing things wrong and luckily ended up figuring out another ability instead—just like Rin…." Maki said.

"It's more epic than hers, I assure you…" Niko replied.

"Niko-senpai is so arrogant-nya!" Rin said energetically.

"O-Oi! Don't say it like that!"

"Putting that aside, we should leave earlier… we can't waste too much time!" Umi said.

"Yeah…let's just…leave now?" Kotori said.

The team hesitated for a moment, but eventually decided to wave a good bye and leave.

* * *

After all the council activity is over,

Each of the council members began to patrol around the school to make sure everyone has left. Eli still remained silent as she keeps walking around the school with the keys in her hand. Nozomi also decided to remain silent, but she keeps following her tirelessly, waiting to be talked with...

 _Why am I waiting for her to talk with me_ _….?_

 _Shouldn_ _'_ _t I be the one to_ _try_ _first_ _?_

 _It was my fault after all_ _…_

 _To make her feel left out_ _…._

She thought.

 _Ah—I_ _'_ _m really thinking too much, I should just go ahead with this!_

"Ericchi!"

Eli didn't respond, she just keeps going without a pause.

 _Uh…crap…_ _what should I say next?_

"Let's get some nice parfait after school, I miss doing that with you!"

The blonde still silent…

"Or maybe we should just go to my house and write the things we experienced from the previous adventure? I know you were not there for the whole time, but I understand… and I think everyone is fine with that too!"

No response… Eli keeps walking by herself.

"Ericchi….!" Nozomi decided to quickly block her way.

Eli finally comes to a halt, but she is looking at her very coldly.

"Are you mad at me…?" Nozomi asked.

Eli averted her eyes,

"…..I'm sorry, ok? Let's make up…" Nozomi said as she grabs Eli's hands, but as soon as she tried to lift it up, Eli retorted and quickly moves away from her.

"Ericchi! I promise I won't leave you alone again, but please…talk to me… Don't shut me out like this!"

Nozomi held her hand, but Eli once again pulls herself away and keeps avoiding her.

"Ericchi!" the purplenette didn't give up yet, she ran to the blonde and embraced her from behind.

This time, Eli stops, creating scar in her heart as she hears the purplenette sounds like she was crying.

"I don't want us to be like this…please forgive me…."

Eli was still unresponsive.

"Please…." Nozomi begged, making sure every word spoken was filled with sincerity. Holding her tears which, to no avail, began to pour out of her eyes.

"Leave me alone…" Eli finally spoke, with her cold voice.

Nozomi swears, the wound in her heart deepened drastically,

"I'm not someone you want to be with…" she continued as she gently releases herself from Nozomi's embrace, then continues to walk away from her.

What should Nozomi do now?

Is this truly the end…?

To be brushed off completely like that, she believes that no one will continue trying…

But she has made it for three years to be with her… they got to be so close as well…

And it was ruined with that one spontaneous act she made…

Three years of effort for nothing…

Why did she cry though? Shouldn't she be used to this kind of situation?

Being brushed off by this specific blonde…

It's not that it was a rare thing…

Perhaps it was that thing…

That thing that she calls as her fear of losing someone…

And the sole reason why she made distance from everyone else before she met Eli…

One that made her go for more than she could ever achieve…

Will she stop trying…?

Will she stop striving for her?

Will she let her go like that?

No…

She is not going to do that…

Despite what happened before, Nozomi decided to run to her once again—she will not try to engage a conversation with her…she will do it like how she did it before.

Just following her, pretending that she has always been close with her. Her cries were still on hold, but no one will notice that—maybe….

While she was doing that, Eli could feel her heart aching worse than ever…

She knows well that she is up to something that the purplenette will hate…

She has a mission of her own—and it's not that she's completely obeying that specific soul, she just thinks that she has her own purpose…

Her hate towards everyone else…

Her hate towards her own life…

And her hate towards everything else inside her…

She could've just killed herself instead…

Less effort…

Less trouble…

But that specific someone has always stopped her from doing so…

And she will also be broken because she is still in love with her…

That's why…

That's why she wants to be hated…

That's why she wants to please herself with expressing her hate toward others…

Before all that decision, she always thought…

Why… did this person's feeling become more important than anyone's life…

Why she would rather be called selfish for such a thing than be called selfish because she wanted her all for herself…

What's so different between those?

Because, either way…

She will always be the bad one…

Eli keeps her feet moving towards somewhere—anywhere…

Anywhere her heart wanted to be…

* * *

Meanwhile….

Maki's car has never gone as fast as now, but thank god that Maki's driver is a professional and he knows a lot about the road.

The group is tense—not only because of the speed, but also because they're going to do something without Nozomi. Not that it's their first time, at some points, they had to do the work by their own, but Nozomi's presence made them feel confident…now without her, they feel like if anything happens, they won't have any back up.

They have tried to call the Snow Girl and Reiko to help as well, but the two seemed to be left behind somewhere because their car moved too fast for them.

Once they arrived at the Inn, everything seemed to be working as usual—other than the old woman who have taken charge of the Inn, replacing the manly woman who was said to be the owner.

Maki came down from her car—while some of the team still seemed to be in a daze by the swiftness. The red haired girl quickly approaches the old woman…

"Excuse me…" she said—not so politely, but she tried…

The old woman turns her eyes to her, quickly noticing the resemblance with someone she knew….

"Ah—Is this Nishikino's daughter?" she said.

"Heh—guess I'm just that well known…" Maki replied.

"Of course…anyhow, do you have anything you want to do here…?"

"I'd like to tour for a few hours with my friends, if thats permissible…"

"Just a tour? Then you can go ahead…no need for any sort of permission…"

"Well, thanks…. I'll go ahead…" Maki replied before she beckons to her friends, heading in to the hallways to start their mission.

While they walk, Umi decides to ask the question she wanted to ask before…

"…so what is this power you have, Niko-senpai…?" Umi asked.

"…..He-he-heeh!" Niko smiled arrogantly,

Everyone seems to be very curious of what she might have…

"You see… when I was trying to do some nice focusing last night…" she started as they keep moving…

"I somehow was able to acquire the history of the object I focused on…"

"The history….?" Umi tried to confirm what she heard.

"Yep, it's sort of like a video game hero ability…!" Niko replied proudly.

"Huh….alright…. so… what's the use of that kind of power in this case…?" Maki asked sarcastically.

"We can just find something that relates to the incident, maybe… the place where she fainted?" Niko replied.

"The problem is… what is the range of the history you see…? Do you assume that you will get the exact needed information? I don't think so…" Maki replied again.

"I'm pretty sure I can adjust the time!" Niko replied.

"Alright, then, we should go around and ask where they found her last time…"

Somewhere near the Inn,

The snow girl and Reiko still on their flight to the inn,

"Hey, Yuki-chan…" Reiko said.

"Hmm…?" she responded.

"Is it just me…or… is it a little too quiet around here…?

"Maybe they're not in the mood to show up on the surface?"

"Can't be… I mean…it can't be all of them at the same time…" Reiko said.

"Do you happen to know someone around here…?" Yuki asked.

Reiko tried to think, but then she shook her head,

"Only Aiko-chan…and no one else…"

"Hmmm… any place that might be the hotspot for souls?"

"Should be the abandoned temple in the mountains… a few priests had tried to recover the place but none were able to survive in that mountain….They said, the wild are too strong and furious… it's like evil spirits are controlling them…"

"Do you think we should just change our track and go there instead?"

"I don't think so, Nozomi-chan isn't here… we should help those kids…"

"Ah—you're right… maybe we should head there after that…"

* * *

Back to the Inn,

The group has started to ask around— while some decided to ask the staff, Hanayo and Rin decided to approach Aiko who has been sitting around the pool.

"Oh—You two! It's nice to see you again!" Aiko said cheerfully when she sees the two walking to her calmly.

"What are you doing here now-nya?" Rin asked as she notices that Aiko has been sitting on the poolside with her legs dipped into the water.

"Hehe, just reminiscing some part of my life…" she replied.

"Ah, you're right, we haven't heard your story at all…" Hanayo replied with her sweet smile before she joined Aiko by sitting right next to the soul. Rin also decided to join as well, she is very curious about what story the girl might possess.

"Hehe…it was just a simple story, not much excitement…." She replied sadly.

"How come-nya…?" Rin asked.

"My life is just a life of a dull school girl, I never had any friends to hang out with because—I was just… too quiet for them…and too shy to come out for them…"

"Ah….I can relate to that…" Hanayo replied.

"Really…?" Aiko seems to be surprised,

"Yep, except, I had Rin-chan overwhelming me and…because of her… I was able to get a little confidence in myself…i think…."

"Hehe! Kayo-chin! You're giving me too much credit-nya! I think Kayo-chin is the source of my energy too! Like a charger!"

"W-what?" Hanayo flustered to that statement,

"Yep! She is the charger I'm the battery-nya! Maki-chan can be the wheel since she is noisy and hyperactive-nya…!"

"U-uh….." Hanayo nodded, wondering what Maki will say about this.

"So how did you end up to be like this-nya…?" Rin asked.

"I was drowned, had a little muscle problem and there was no one to help—because I was the one who decided to do things on my own…Everyone was partying in the lobby and I went to the swimming pool because I didn't get the chance to do it in the crowd during the afternoon…"

"Oh-Oh! I've heard this somewhere. It said that, one soul will take the element from what they're going to die in-nya!" Rin said.

"W-what do you mean?" Aiko flustered.

"Like, if you die from water, you'll take the water element itself into your soul…and you become a soul with water element!"

"R-Rin-chan…did you hear it from a game?"

"I don't know-nya! But I heard, if you die from drowning, you will make some puddle messes everywhere!"

"Uh…I'm sure I know what game that is, but…Rin-chan...I don't think—…."

"Ahhh! So that's why people always complain about puddles!" Aiko suddenly exclaimed.

"W-wait, what? It actually happened?" Hanayo asked.

"I don't know! But…every time I try to walk up to the lobby or something, some staff often complains about puddles! That other night, they complained that there are a lot of water everywhere around the hallways! I wasn't sure where it came from, but then I realized it all came from me!"

"T-that doesn't make any sense!" Hanayo tried to reason, not being able to believe what she heard.

Aiko giggled,

"I'm joking… there's no such thing…" she said.

"Oh…." Hanayo put her palm on her face.

"Hehe… that was funny though, puddles from souls…"

"That's impossible-nya?" Rin asked.

"Hehe, I know that some souls could influence one emotion, but never about causing a real mess… They also could form into how they looked when they died, but not really about giving out what caused them to die…"

"Influencing emotion….?" Hanayo wondered.

"Yep…like, when you're around the Snow Girl, you'll feel a bit lonely… not many are able to feel that because some souls have always been lonely… then Reiko-chan… when she is into scaring people, she will turn into how she looked when she died! Then everyone will surely escape in fear!

"How did Reiko die-nya?" Rin asked.

"Oh, I think I know about her—but I believe you don't want to hear about it, Rin-chan…" Hanayo said.

"Eh…? Why? I'd like to know-nya…." Rin replied again surely.

Hanayo and Aiko look at each other…wondering if they should tell her the story, since Rin seemed to be insisting them with her innocent looking face, and sparkling curious eyes….

A moment passed while they kept deciding, until….finally…

"Well, Rin-chan…Long ago in the Meishin Railway….." Hanayo started…

* * *

At the building,

Maki and Niko has tried their best to look around, Honoka, Kotori and Umi as well, tried to ask around, yet none of the staff wanted to speak too much off it. Other than because they're busy, they're also bound to a promise with the old woman, that they will be silent about the incident—especially towards the journalists….

No more information is to be leaked, no more evidence is going to be submitted, they all will just pray for recovery…

"Heh—this is really hard…" Maki said.

"Yeah… we can't even get the information of where she was found…." Niko said.

"Hnnn…. It's too bad…. I wonder if we can use our own deductions instead…"

"Deducting…? We don't even have that many clues…" Umi said.

"I heard from Kayo-chan, the last time they met her was at the time she was chasing her, Rin-chan, Maki-chan, the snow girl, Aiko and Reiko…."

"Yeah….I remember that…but I was separated from the team along with the snow girl, and then we remember they returned, but they had no one chasing after them… that time, I thought she got lost…. So we all returned to the room—thinking that we couldn't do anything about finding that troublesome senior number two…" Maki said tiredly.

"Number two? Who's the number one?" Niko asked.

"You, of course! Who else could be trouble other than you? Even if you're just standing here, you're already a big problem!" Maki said.

"Huh? Is it because I'm cuter than you?"

"Heck No! You're not even cute!" Maki said loudly.

"Putting that aside, I think we should start searching from where we were before… I mean…remember the two women we met before—ones that stayed in the room next to us…maybe they would know something if we happen to meet them…" Umi said.

"It's already been a few days, Umi-chan…I doubt they are still around…." Kotori said.

"Then maybe we should look for more clues around the area, Niko-senpai will have to work it out though…"

"Hmmph! I bet it will be an easy task for me. Bring it on!" Niko said proudly.

* * *

The Toujou's apartment, afternoon;

It's so strange for Eli—who has been thinking of nothing but walking to where her heart told her, ended up to be where she wished to not show up.

She can't believe herself…

She can't believe her heart told her to come here…

While the purplenette was also confused of the reason as to why they ended up here….

..and it was the blonde who lead her here….

"Ericchi… why are we at my apartment now?" Nozomi asked—holding up the other question that she wanted to ask, since maybe, if she offered to have some tea, she will be upset and think that she isn't serious…

Eli couldn't think of anything to say right now, her heart was still aching from the embarrassment…

Adding onto the fact that Nozomi was following her up until this point….

If she complains about Nozomi following her, Nozomi could always say that this is her home and where she is supposed to be…

They were quiet for a moment until Eli found an excuse….

"I knew you were following me… that's why… I want to take you back home—and hoping that you will not follow me any further…."

"But why….? Why can't I follow you? I want to be with you…and it was what you wanted too, right?"

"I said—!" Eli turned around, with a serious frown on her face.

"Stop following me!" she shouted.

Nozomi shook her head,

"I refuse! I want to stay with you…I want to spend more time with you… it's a sign that I truly want our friendship to be unbroken…"

Eli clenches her fist,

"Why….Why can't you hate me after all I did to you? Why are you so insistent upon befriend me to begin with? A jerk like me…. someone who doesn't even think about your feelings…." she said out loud…

"Lies, you were thinking of me all the time, I've felt it myself that you care about me… I have always known that you like me!"

"Wh-Where is this confidence coming from? How could you be so sure about what I feel for you?!"

"A lot of people has told me the same… I even heard the same thing from a stranger! And it's not just my feelings…or my confidence….! I know you love me—and I love you too!"

"Haven't we gone through in this kind of conversation…?!" Eli retorted,

"I'm not playing around with this feeling….I truly feel that way…" Nozomi assures.

Eli bites her lips…

"Stop denying, Ericchi….I know—we all know…so…show me anything you want to show me….show me what you truly feel for me…"

The blonde once again feels her heart aching from the sentence…

Can she truly show what she feels?

After what she decided to get into….

She feels like she has made herself worse—worse than what she has always been….

Will it be worsen if she tells her the truth?

"Ericchi…. please…. Tell me..." Nozomi begged her…

Perhaps….

She can grant what she wants…

Even if…

Even if she will actually hate her later…

…and perhaps she can finally put an end to the torment from falling in love with someone that is better than herself….?

Eli has nothing more to hold…

She grabs her collar, and pulls the latter close, shoving her against the door of her own apartment.

Their eyes met…and just for a second after the azure closes—their lips met with each other….

It wasn't the first time for the purplenette, not in her memory…

But has she ever thought of feeling that touch—not from her doing…and not from the chocolate that turns out to be unused because she didn't get to meet the other her…?

Can she call this as their first actual kiss?

Will it be a sin if she takes a pleasure from this…?

Will Eli feel pissed if she shows how much she enjoy it…?

What is the reason behind this kiss?

Once their lips parted away, Nozomi tried to call her name to make sure of who she is with right now…but before she was able to say the first word, the blonde pushed her deeper—and it's just almost impossible for that to happen, not for her senses..

She sank into the door along with the blonde—ending up on the floor of her own room with the blonde sitting on top of her.

The room is still dark and door still remained locked as well, but those didn't matter much as all her attention was placed on the blonde's tentative hands, groping onto her breast before it picks her button…

When her eyes set on the azure eyes…

There's only one word that could describe her mood right now….

Lust….

Should she take an advantage or try to understand the whole feeling she is trying to show….?

* * *

 **Ok! That's it for now!**

 **And yes! Lewd chapter is next.**

 **by the way too, please check out my tumblr and vote on The Digimon-LL Match Up! It will decide of how the next FF (and prolly really the last) will go!**

 **(haruhikaru14 . tumblr . c-o-m / post / 137611415075 / love-live-vote)**

 **copy paste ^ without the - on the c-o-m and the space**


	17. Ch17: You are Mine and Only

**Ok! Thanks for waiting again!**

 **Here is the next chapter~**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Thanks to Crimson for edits! Thanks to you for reviews/comment/faves/enthusiasm!**

* * *

The Pool side,

Hanayo and Aiko have finally told Rin about Reiko's death… Rin has started to feel nauseous after hearing the whole story…

"T-that's a really gruesome death-nya!" Rin complained.

"Hehe, exactly, but it will never be known if she died from her own actions or because someone pushed her…rumor says, she was pushed, and that's why she became a vengeful spirit…"

"But Reiko-chan isn't vengeful… she is kind and a little mischievous…but she isn't someone who holds grudges…she got over everything quickly…" Aiko said.

"Myth, people likes to make up stuff to make it creepier" Hanayo replied.

"Those are just a made up….?" Rin asked.

"I wouldn't know…hehe… but the thing is, Rin-chan… we shouldn't sweat over the details…some things are best unknown…."

"Ah—by the way, can I ask…about why you are all here again…?" Aiko asked.

"Oh…about that….! I almost forgot!" Hanayo said.

"Ah—you're right nya! We're supposed to ask about what happened to that woman who chased us all night before-nya!" Rin said.

"Oh! Hmm…I don't really know… I was with you all, remember….?" Aiko replied.

"You don't know anything else after….? I mean…not even when a ruckus was made?" Hanayo asked again.

"Hmmm…I don't know… it was so calm last night… this is an Inn after all so, they are always trying to make this place as calm as possible…"

"Good point…" Hanayo replied sadly.

"But! When we returned last night, I could feel a presence of a Holy Beast come into this area—but I wasn't too sure…so that's why I didn't tell anyone about it…."

"A holy beast….?" Rin and Hanayo flustered,

"Yeah…Like…that blonde woman…. She was a holy beast, right…?"

"Ah—so you mean, Eli-senpai returned here last night…?"

"Yep! The presence was strong and her scent was strong too! I wasn't sure because there was a time where I felt like the atmosphere was overwhelmed by a strong spiritual power…like…that one Boobs-san…"

"B-Boobs-san?!" Rin and Hanayo gets confused again,

"Yeah! Purple haired boobs-san!"

"W-Why do you remember her boobs! She has a name and a face-nya!" Rin said.

"Because, that's what Reiko always tell me about her.. Boobs-san this, boobs-san that…. she has really big boobs and it feels like her spiritual power is stored there…"

"S-Say…does Reiko no like her…?"

"Not that she doesn't like, but Reiko often feels jealous of someone for almost no-reason…

"Almost no-reason…?"

"yep… there was this one time where she suddenly got jealous of Bird-chan's legs…"

"B-Bird-chan….?"

"Yup, the one with ash brown hair…"

"Oh…Kotori-senpai…."

"Yeah, she said, her legs are so smooth and slim! It almost looks like a bird's legs!"

"Ah…."

"Then later, she got jealous of that ginger gulper…."

"G-Ginger gulper…?!"

"Yep… said, her appetite is so big, she can eat and taste everything…."

Rin and Hanayo couldn't do much to make a comment…

"Then also the time when she got jealous of the she-sea warrior….said, her arms are so fit and yet it looks so feminine…and her silky blue hair looks like an ocean…"

"She hasn't said anything about you two, but I suppose she said something about the chirping little rice-loving chicken, not so kind recorder, snotty broken stereo and cat-wanna-be girl….and I assume two of them are you….but I don't know…."

"Oh…."

"The only person she rarely mentions is that blonde girl—I think she was somewhat scared of her…as much as I fear her…. but yes, Reiko tends to give too much respect on someone she fears…"

"I…I see…." Rin and Hanayo replied.

"Anyhow, I don't know if I could help you with the information… if only I could possess one of the staff…. But I don't know how to do that…."

As Rin heard it, she gets reminded of her ability

"Oh! Then I have a little idea-nyaa!"

* * *

Meanwhile,

Maki and the others have started to inspect from the top. It took a while for them to finally reach the place where Maki and the Snow girl stopped on the chase...

"W-wow…I swear…this woman looked so creepy here…" Niko said.

"I don't know how she looked like, but I suppose if she was being like that to me, I'll probably have knocked her out…." Umi said.

"Now you made me think, did anyone knock her out last night…?" Kotori asked to Maki.

"Not that I remember… I told you I was sort of separated from the group… then they returned through that hall!" Maki replied.

Niko nodded and started to inspect with her power….she closes her eyes and stretches her hands forward…

"Well…. I totally can recover some things here… but sadly… I can't see her anywhere during very time of them all running here…."

"Maybe we should try going through this hall and use the power on where we find suspicious….?" Honoka asked.

"Yeah….let's do that…."

* * *

She swears…

She has almost no memory of how they ended up to be on top of her own bed,

Or about how she was stripped into nothing but her underwear…

When her eyes finally gained their focuses, she could see the blonde is now about to strip herself… but she suddenly stopped as she notices her waking up…

"Ah… You're awake…. What a coincidence…." The blonde said—with a mischievous smile coloring her face….

"Ericchi….?" Nozomi called her out innocently.

"You dropped again—from a massive nose bleed…" the blonde replied,

Nozomi quickly tried to touch the tip of her nose, she could not see any blood remains…but she does smell it…

"I cleaned you up… but I suppose I'll have to do that again later…." Eli turns her sight to a pile of tissue with bloodstains. Nozomi might know where this is going, but….

Is it really going to go where it might be…?

The blonde sat on the bed, grabbing the purplenette's ankle and lifting up her feet….Nozomi tried to pull her body up, trying to get a better angle of what is happening to her right now—but as she tried to use her hands, she realized that both of her hands are tied against the bed. It wasn't that tight, but the rope is connected to the two bed pillars on each side, preventing her from getting up.

"You have such a great looking body… I alway felt hungry to have a taste of it…" The blonde said before she licks her toe, seductively trailing her tongue up to the tip and repeated the process over and over. At times, she let her tongue pass through the gap, then began to tend the other part of her feet.

Nozomi swears that even if she wasn't tied like this, she would let this be done…

Why did Eli tie her up?

Is she scared of being rejected…?

Either way, Nozomi didn't mind anything that was done until now…

Once the blonde looks somewhat satisfied with enjoying both of her feet, she could see her climbing slightly up to her knee.

Nozomi doesn't know how her nose condition is right now. For all she knows, she can't feel anything. But she does smell the scent of blood and her head feels dizzy from all the excitement.

"….you look so nice with that blood on your nose, it makes me feel so special…. But…." the blonde pauses. She runs her tongue over her thighs, rubbing her hands slowly and passionately on every inch of her skin…

"…I was always so worried, if what I wanted to do to you will harm you…" she continued suggestively, reaching her groin. Eli places her fingers against her underwear—right on top of the latter's core.

Something made Nozomi's heart jump. When she could feel those tentative fingers touching the most sensitive part of her…all parts of her body could feel the blood rush…

"I don't want to be selfish…I wanted to be your friend…I wanted to care about you…. and all the teasing you did to me…about us dating and so on…."

Teasing….?

Was it just a mere teasing….?

Nozomi knows that she could always just think it that way…

What's the description of dating for her again?

"It always aroused my inappropriate thoughts… but I didn't want to be selfish….not on you…but what do I care about that now? I want you so bad and this is what I want…." the blonde continued again as she gently pulls the bottom of her underwear, revealing the wetness of her core.

Should Nozomi say anything about this?

She knows what's happening down there right now….

And she knows that soon enough, her wetness will increase as her mind imagines everything that will be done to her….

The azure eyes only stared at her, and it's enough for her to make her cheeks feel warmer…

When those sapphires orbs finally shines on her core, Eli inches her face closer until her lips touches Nozomi's pleasure spot….

The purplenette squeaks out an attractive moan, thinking of how good it feels inside her body.

But why is she tied for this?

She wanted this to happen. If her hands were free, she would pull Eli's head closer so that her tongue could reach deeper into her. Perhaps that will come later, since it appears that Eli is only on the mood to play around the surface…

From the way she plays with her core… it shows Nozomi that the blonde truly wants her. She is so passionate and gentle. It really feels like nothing was held back from her…she could argue that Eli is influenced by lust, but Nozomi knows Eli as much as she knows herself…

With every motion made, Nozomi could feel herself getting tensed. After penetrating with her tongue the blonde inserts two fingers into the hollow. Seeing Eli slightly lift her face, the spiritual girl started to get much more excited with every sensation running through her veins, tingling her neck and jaw, she also could feel her center delicately stretched and soon it became a lot more slippery and warm from the thrusts delivered from the latter's long, slim fingers; fingers that she always dreamt of to be inside her….

Nozomi's tight walls could feel Eli's nails dig deep. The feeling was indescribable – not with any words, Nozomi couldn't think clearly due to the pleasurable sensation numbing her normal humanistic senses. The sound made, each time Eli's fingers went in and out, Eli's warm breath on her body and the planted kisses on her core, was making Nozomi more and more ecstatic. Adding in the fact that all this is happening in present time and not in her imagination, made it ten times more worthwhile.

Even during the mix of emotions, Nozomi couldn't help but wonder what the blonde was trying to express to her… after everything that occurred…. It doesn't make sense to her that she is now doing what she always wished to do with her…

Could this be a failure attempt of being raped? She loves this after all!

Did she never acknowledge this desire within her as well?

Is she that oblivious?

What about her guessing that she is thinking of something perverted about her….?

Did she think that as a joke Nozomi made for her? Or again… a mere teasing, made because of her sexual orientation…?

Perhaps she should forget all that for now—and focus on enjoying what was being done to her…

She began to moan in pleasure as Eli continued to express love and lust to her body, suckling into her hardened pink nipples, tentatively squeezing her soft breast and blissfully licking her everywhere she wishes to.

At some point, Eli took the liberty of sniffing Nozomi's sweating, body scent.

"I love you so much, Nozomi…." she whispered seductively.

"But you don't have to love me back… if you want to hate me because of this… I'm fine…" she continued along with her kisses.

 _That_ _'_ _s so unfair_ _…_

Nozomi replied in her thoughts. She wanted to speak—but will that end what she has been enjoying?

Her thrust gradually hastened, making Nozomi arch her back along with erotic moans escaping her lips. The purplenette's legs began to move wildly, demanding to be held. Eli understanding the latter's action, did just as Nozomi wanted. Though perhaps, it wasn't quite the same as what Nozomi expected…

Once Eli grabs both of her legs, she pushes it up, exposing the wet shape of pink, which was stretched wider from how it was. The blonde smiles before leaning in to taste her incoming juices.

Without doubt, even though this is her first time, she could already say that this is the most addicting feeling she has ever felt in her entire life. The blonde is too good at this... how did she know how to treat it professionally? Did she practice on herself? Just like her…?

By the time the turquoise eyes began to get watery from the sinful joy, a loud scream of euphoria escaped from her lips as something squirts out of her.

Is everything alright down there?

Did she make the blonde…dirty…? Dirtier than she believed she was…?

"You just came…" Eli chuckled—an unexpected respond, but at least Nozomi was able to hear the small laugh she has missed so much.…

"That's unfair… I haven't reached half of my satisfaction…." She continued as she wipes her lips which was covered by transparent liquid from the bonded girl.

Nozomi really wanted to say something about this…but she truly doesn't want to risk making a wrong move… she wants some more intimacy…

"Let's play some more… shall we…?" Eli sits on one of her thighs, while lifting the other one…

It feels like a dream for Nozomi, she knows what Eli is up to…

A position that's loved by most girls who're in love with the same sex… something that is called as scissoring…

Their cores are touching, awakening all of Nozomi's senses—while it also made the blonde's fox soul become so much clearer in her eyes, a thousand times visible and she swears she could also feel the existence of many souls around her….

When the blonde started to rub together, the purplenette's heart jumped in excitement, she couldn't hold herself but to moan louder with each rub. The slippery skin and erotic sounds made when their flesh meets each other, makes it hard for her to resist the temptation of calling out to her crush, but she has no idea of what to tell her if she does.

Eli grips Nozomi's waist with one hand, while other holds strongly onto the bed's cover. With the repeated motion, they rubbed harder and faster, eventually causing a bigger mess. But while doing so….

The rope that was used to hold Nozomi, loosened up and released both of her hands after some more wild motions were made.

After all, Eli didn't have the guts to hurt her physically…or so Nozomi guessed.

Should she pretend that the rope is still holding her?

Watching the way the blonde was looking at her passionately—enjoying every stroke they made with each other. Will she be too busy to notice?

Maybe she will…

But does Nozomi want this to be over…?

Maybe at the right time…

Which comes up to her sooner than she thought...

The blonde takes a moment to get away from the flaming sparks and decides to close the gap between their lips with a passionate kiss. Eli could be on the advantage on almost everything, but Nozomi isn't that far behind on strength, agility and wit…or perhaps luck in this case.

When Eli deepens her kiss, Nozomi takes the chance to hold the blonde up close to herself. Being in the bottom position doesn't always mean that she will be the one to get a treat…. Or so she believes.

She turns their position slightly, where Eli is right beside her—but surprisingly not that panicked. Did she realize that she is no longer tied?

Or did she do this for a specific purpose…?

what exactly is the plan?

What did she exactly want from her?

Either way, Nozomi just wants to enjoy her freedom. She maneuvered her hands down Eli's back, while their kisses become a passionate fight to enter each others mouth. Seeing how well Eli was at moving her tongue, Nozomi intentionally used her own to match with Eli.

It will be a lie if they say that they are doing this without love…

They wanted each other so badly…

A few minutes passed, their lips finally parted away…

Taking a moment to breath, they stare into each other. Both of their faces, red…

Nozomi gives out a faint loving smile as she caresses the blonde's cheek, but she was quickly rejected as Eli gets up, preventing each other from looking eye-to-eye.

"Ericchi!" Nozomi called her out again.

Eli didn't stop, she quickly picks up all of her clothes.

It's time to act some more for Nozomi, she quickly jumps from her bed and stops the blonde from trying to wear her clothes.

"We're not done yet… you haven't reached your limit yet…right?"

Eli completely ignores her and continues to try to wear her clothes. Nozomi swiftly clings to Eli, giving her a deep lustful kiss that she isn't ashamed to give.

When she released her lips, she noticed that the blonde break into tears. Nozomi, finding herself a bit dumfounded, didn't now how to approach the matter.

"Why…" Eli finally speaks to her…

"Why can't you just hate me….?"

"I don't understand, Ericchi… This is…what I want…and this is also what you want…. But you're expecting me to hate you for this….? I mean… are you truly oblivious to the fact that I wanted this as well?"

"Won't everyone hate it if someone takes their virginity out of selfish desires…? I did that to you! You really should hate me!"

Nozomi tried her best to not laugh…

It's not making any sense—and its funny about how innocent she sounded… the way she tried to be mean to her yet it was actually great that she did this to her…. She doesn't even know where to start explaining…

"What? Why are you laughing? I can see that smirk! You never take me seriously…! You're always mocking me!"

Who is never taking someone seriously, Nozomi could accuse her the same thing, but will that do anything? Blaming will only make things worse…

Maybe the only thing she could do right now is to prove that she is serious…

Without a word, Nozomi once again presses her lips against Eli's…with no hesitation.

"Will you listen to me?!" Eli tried to retort, but Nozomi has no ears for her now. She will not listen nor will she utter a single word of response to any kind of offense—only love and the way she want to love her….

She pushed the blonde against the wall, grinding her own thighs between hers, aggressively kissing her neck. Eli couldn't help but enjoy it—she tried hard to make herself stronger against the charming scent of her crush.

What got her most was their breasts pressing against each other— maybe this was just her luck, but she could feel their nipples are rub against each others as well. The hardened sensation it gave out…made Eli feel aroused. She wanted to do more of it but if she gives up to this…

She might as well give up from Nozomi…

Which is bad—and makes her feel stupid…

Knowing Nozomi's thought process, she would already say that Eli is silly for trying to be mean and avoiding her….for whatever the reason…

She knows that they love each other…she knows that Eli is just being cautious about her intentions… and she also knows that Eli did what she did out of jealousy...but…

Nozomi had a good intention, Umi also supported her that sometimes its necessary to scold the people we love, to help them realize what's important to them…

While Rin said that we should accept our friends just the way they are and not think of anything else…

Along with Niko, who tried to communicate with Eli about their relationship….

And lastly, the society around them already judged them as an inseparable pair…

What else stopped her from doing all these sinful deeds with her…?

Maybe she should take it as her way to punish herself for everything she did?

As the blonde tried to retort some more, Nozomi had enough of holding her and she decided to use all of her strength to move themselves back onto the bed,

She pulled her down—letting her be on top while locking Eli down by crossing her legs around her hips. Now it's too late for Eli to stop—she is too aroused from the purplenette's tentative touches, the scent, and the beautiful sound that they made together.

Everything else is soon forgotten, not even the things she intend to do after making Nozomi hate her was remembered. They enjoyed each others lips… they played, sucked and intertwined their tongues, gaining entrance into each other's mouths, letting their hands freelance over each other's bodies, exploring every curve.

The steamy atmosphere thickens, their love deepens, and eventually, they once again connect their core to each other. This is what they dreamed of...and this is what they wanted… their pace hastened and their face looked seductive, eyes full of passion.

At the heat of the moment, nothing is better than listening to each other's erotic moans and knowing that now they have shared their body fluids with each other…Reaching up to the orgasm, they kept their pace fast… heating their skin with each rub until finally…

Something hot and sticky sprayed out on each other's thigh…

This time, they did it together….

And this time… no one held back….

Is this enough….?

Is this truly…. Enough….?

Perhaps it's not….

The blonde approaches the purplenette, attempting to give her a nice and sweet kiss…but a single finger on her lip stops her….

"Ericchi…before we go for another round…." Nozomi started,

Eli pauses…

"….I want you to realize…. That I never joke about my feelings…I truly want you… and… if you're still not convinced by it…." Nozomi pauses as she turns her sight to the end table next to her bed. There's a drawer and a key hanging on its door.

Eli doubted, she averted her eyes and blushes slightly on both of her cheek…

"Will I find another girl's picture there….?"

As the question was put out, Nozomi realizes that it wasn't about the seriousness in her feeling…but it was about the loyalty in her feelings. Maybe, after all, Eli wasn't oblivious about her feelings…but she was…once again…just being cautious…

She is afraid to not be the only one for her…

And she takes that as mockery to play with her heart…

Eli loves her so much…

And she wants her all for herself…

There's no option to share with others….

"You see, Ericchi…. maybe I finally started to understand what you want from me…."

Eli remained silent,

"…but I have love for those girls I hung out with…."

Eli bit her lips as she heard it, she was quickly about to jump out off the bed, but Nozomi held her tight…

"It's not the same love I have with you…. maybe it's better if i call my relationship with them something close to sisterly love….just like with you and your sister…." Nozomi continued.

The Azure eyes seemed to show that she is slightly convinced.

"Didn't I tell you that I had a crush…?"

Eli nodded.

"She was the only one that I ever thought of having a relationship with…until you came into my life and became my next target…" Nozomi said.

"….You'll be having more to go on… won't you?" Eli replied.

"If you're going to reject me…then I will… but if you're going to accept me…you'll be the last…"

Eli is about to say something…but Nozomi beats her to it…

"Should I remind you again….? Just be honest to yourself… I love you….and you love me… no matter what we have or what we don't have…. we love each other…and thats all that matters…"

Eli shut her mouth again, trying to think of a response…

Putting that aside, Eli started to think that she should just open the very drawer… she wanted to know if Nozomi really kept something from her. In her selfish mind, she wanted to see that Nozomi was obsessing over her…she won't mind if she took her picture without permission. She always knows that a part of her will enjoy the image of Nozomi yanking by seeing her face in the very picture…

Could she call this a teenage dream? The naughty kind of teens…?

Surely…if this was known by others, her image as the good classy president will crumble. But will it really…? As long as she didn't intend to show this to anyone, it will be fine…right?

When the drawer opened, it exposed all the stack of printed pictures that contained a specific blonde, along with a professional camera and a long medium sized box, where the contents were still unknown, Eli could feel herself rather satisfied than relieved that she didn't see any other girl but Nozomi and herself in the picture.

Eli decided to pull a little further….noticing a strange belt neatly placed inside. She took it carefully and dangles it to understand the design—which only took a second for Eli.

"A strap-on belt…?"

"It took me all my courage to get that off the shop…but it was worth it…even though my poor pillow will have to substitute for your body…I still enjoy it…"

Eli wondered when Nozomi even had the time to get this... but then again, they don't always stick together all the time anyway… sometimes they have to take care of each other's personal business…

"I have two types of toys… one that you could attach there—or the double headed one…." Nozomi said as she tentatively pulls the blonde back to the soft and fluffy bed of hers….

"Would you like to make my imaginations come true….?" She whispered seductively against the blonde's sensitive ears.

* * *

Back to the Inn,

The group has finally found each other—and when they met, they immediately discussed about what they should do next.

Surprisingly for them, they were able to synchronize their thoughts quickly and soon acted on it. While a few of them were fishing for attention from some of the staff, Aiko and Hanayo possessed them. Niko attempted to be smuggled to the place where Niko herself believed to be where the manly woman was taken after her incident—causes still unknown…

"Excuse me! Excuse me!" said the staff—who is now possessed by Aiko.

"We need to pass through!" said the other staff—who is now possessed by Hanayo, after splitting her consciousness, she was holding onto her unconscious body. Niko ran next to them, she said she would be the one responsible for the kids, who were told to wait outside the "staff-only" door by the other staff.

They were all in panic, but of course, the group only pretended to be panicked. While Maki sets up a fake hospital call, ones that she didn't even contact to begin with and the others pretended to help the other staff prepare some things for Hanayo.

Niko and the others had to quickly make their move on their mission as they got into where Niko believes to be where the manly woman was taken...

"Think later, just memorize everything—and every single detail possible…"Aiko said.

"Yeah…I don't think we will stay here long enough to do everything...so you really have to record it in your own mind…"

"Huh? I'll try." Niko replied.

For a moment, they all remained silent to let Niko concentrate on what they needed her to do. They also tried to take in all the details of the room to help out,

Niko, who has been quiet and calm—suddenly opens her eyes wide in shock, breaking all the concentration she build on herself. No one notices yet, she quickly changes her face again to a calm one and focuses on what she saw once more.

* * *

Meanwhile,

Nozomi's legs are held tight while her lover penetrates both of their hollow with the double headed toy, it was their choice to enjoy their favorite position with an additional sensation. They haven't yet grown tired of hearing the erotic moans that came of of their mouth…

Eli could feel hunger in her, but she doesn't know what she is hungry of…and the only thing in her mind right now is to keep pleasuring themselves from each others presence. It's addictive and unforgettable, they don't want to stop…

Not until they finally feel their legs close to numb…

Fortunately, they both made it to reach the peak before they were barely able to move again. Nozomi hasn't really paid attention to the other details her eyes could see currently…

Maybe something was awakened inside her, but she wasn't sure and the only thing she knows is that she began to see some high-grade details of spiritual vision. She could see Eli's soul clearly… it isn't that big, but a massive aura surrounds her…as expected from a holy beast…

There are also some souls watching them being busy with a sinful ritual….But they quickly escaped as soon as they realize she could see them…should she be embarrassed?

She doesn't think so…

She has learned enough to not care about those spirits… it's not like she was the one at fault. She already did it in a very private place….

Now she slightly regrets for not putting up a protection seal in her own house. She thought that even if a soul wanted to come by, she could at least communicate with them to ease her loneliness…some also often come by to ask for help, which she never minded…but now that some decided to use the chance to break into her privacy…she would consider putting it up.

Putting those thought aside for now, she started to think of what she just did—with the exhausted blonde who leaned herself against the bed, next to her. They are not even in the appropriate age to do such actions—nor their status…

She decided to turn herself to face the blonde, caressing her cheeks and—this time, Eli didn't reject her, but she was still too shy to accept it. She averts her eyes, letting the red shade paint her cheeks, speaking nothing but a short huff.

Nozomi giggled to the reaction, maybe this is the best time to show her everything she wanted to do with her…

But not to forget to be true to herself as well…

"Is that what you show me after attempt to force into doing all this….?" Nozomi says teasingly.

Eli remains silent,

"It's not quite a failure, you see… I like it rough…." Nozomi adds again as she shortens their gap.

"You're such a proficient lover…let's do it again next time…." She whispered to the blonde suggestively, which was still replied with a silence.

"Should we call ourselves as girlfriends? It's just a status, but this should do it, right?"

Eli sighs heavily,

"You don't want to….? I thought you want me…."

"I do…. But… I might've been too late…." The blonde gets up from the bed,

"What makes you say that…?" Nozomi asked as she also did the same.

"Nozomi…. this might be the only thing that could make you hate me…." Eli said.

"Speak up…." the purplenette replied confidently.

"I made a contract… with a soul that has been following me around….she didn't tell me her name… and… her command was simple…. Find any soul, collect and devour half of them… I should collect about a hundred each month…."

"Collecting soul…? How are you even going to do that….?"

"There's something….about my soul… she taught me that my soul could swallow another, then store them inside….And when I'm hungry, they'll be used to fulfill it…and if not, another soul who could extract that soul, will use it…she also taught me that I can give that soul to others—which she intend to make me give it to her…."

"I didn't know you can do that… she surely knows a lot…."

"Yes…and she is… a lot stronger than me and obviously a lot stronger than a specific someone who has been slacking on spiritual training…." Eli said coldly.

Nozomi giggles,

"I'm sorry— but I was somehow enlightened by your talented tongue, you see…"

"Or more like, giving you some of my spiritual food to you? I can't believe you're that low of spiritual level…"

"You did….what?"

"I was experimenting on what I learned… and since you told me that, now I know it works… but I won't give you that again. You have to work up on your own level…"

"I know….but…can you now tell me exactly what you were planning, Ericchi? I mean… I feel like, there's something else you wanted…."

"I just want to learn about myself...even if I have to do it in the dirtiest way possible…"

"Do you really have to…?" Nozomi asked.

"Who else could tell me about myself if it's not her…?"

"Maybe you can…. You don't have to always learn from someone else…"

"I have no idea about myself, nor understand my own feelings…"

"Really? You just did something that purely came from understanding about your own feelings…and I helped you to do that…and maybe you can put them into the credit as well… if they didn't make you jealous, you wouldn't show this side of you to me now…"

Eli remained silent to it, knowing that there's so much truth in that statement.

"Or….Hmm….there's something else that comes up to my mind… maybe you can stick with her after all…" Nozomi said.

Eli lifts her eyebrows, wondering about what Nozomi plans to do…

"I should throw the challenges on her myself…and stop her from bugging you…" she said.

"Nozomi….." Eli let out a small sigh,

"She is stronger than you… didn't I just tell you that?"

"Well, I still have a chance on my wit, don't I….? Plus… you can just say that this will be how I show you my protection—you're not the only one who can feel jealous…"

Once again, Eli sighs…

"Fine… if this is too dangerous–…."

"—you will protect me…" Nozomi cuts in with her playful smile.

Eli sighs heavier….

Nozomi giggles before she reaches out to her lover again, embracing her and pressing her lips against her skin, dragging her back down on the bed.

"Should we go for another round…?" she whispers.

"You're still raring to go?!" Eli exclaimed in surprise.

"We still have one toy to play with, Ericchi… you can be the horse, I'll ride on you…"

"Huh? What are we playing again…?"

* * *

Back at the Inn,

Niko and the others are gathered inside Maki's car. They are planning to return for now while listening to what Niko needs to tell them…

The group waited for her to speak up in silence until Maki lost her patience…

"So are you going to tell us anything? We've tried our best to support you… you know…" she said.

"I know! Sheesh! I'm just…trying to arrange my story…"

"Just say it already, we don't have forever…!" Maki said.

"Alright-alright!" she grunted,

"So she stumbled on her own feet while she was chasing you all…"

"Huh? Don't tell me, her soul went out because of that…?"

"Yeah…but I could see something else there… something that felt like someone's presence… someone with a great spiritual power…"

Hanayo and Rin turns their eyes to each other, wondering if it's related to a statement that was made by Aiko before.

"What did you actually see…?" Umi asked politely.

"I don't really know, but it's something that was always seen when Nozomi and Eli were in the vision…I can see the similar hint too on Maki, Rin and Hanayo… but it's not quite clear…"

"Hmm…Alright…. So do you have any idea where she might be right now…?"

Niko remained silent…

Hanayo and Rin seems to be worried, Maki and Honoka seems to be very curious, Kotori seems to be troubled, while Umi waits for her in enthusiasm….

What should she say to them….?

* * *

 **See you next chapter!**


	18. CH18: The Bitter Sweet

**Thank you for waiting!**

 **Here is the next chapter~**

 **also, thanks to crimson for edits,**

 **thanks to you all for comment/reviews/faves/follows!**

* * *

Waking up for class has never been more hard for her,

The sun is still dim—the cold colored in blue and the gravitation felt stronger than it usually is. She found herself on the bed alone, but all the dirty stains still remained on her sheets, her legs are slightly numb, and the pain between them still remained…

A part of her is scared that yesterday was just another realistic dream, with a solo-play of some sort. When she looks into the hand mirror that she kept next to her bed, she could see a lot of red marks around her neck.

She smiled to her satisfaction, but also cringed at what she discovers under her nose—where she found herself to be nose bleeding greatly as well yesterday. She wished that she could look better for her first time... but, Eli was so lustful of her. She could care about nothing, but it still bothers her in a way.

Nozomi decided to hurry herself with all the cleaning she needed to do this very early morning. She goes around the house—ignoring the tiredness that still lingered in her body. She knows that she will need a lot of vitamin consumption from this day, but that will be worth it if she gets to do what she did yesterday again in the future.

Maybe every adult that knows about this will protest—and maybe they will say something along the line of, "you're still young and naïve, it's not ok to do that before the right age". But what makes one's age matter for the case? Is it the understanding? Is it the maturity? What is mature and what is immature?

Either way, she just has to make sure that this secret romance is not known by anyone else, else they won't get to do their secret rendezvous without feeling guilty about it, but now that she said that to herself, did Eli feel guilty about this…?

Maybe she did… but maybe she doesn't….

Nozomi just wanted to know how Eli would treat her today. Will it be different? Or perhaps things are worsening for them?

Perhaps it doesn't matter of what she will do to her today, she promised to herself to keep being confident and do what she wants to do, even if it will make her seen as a weird person.

Nothing wrong from being different, right?

* * *

At school,

Nozomi tried to walk as normal as possible with a scarf wrapped around her neck, but it seems that her attempt makes her become somewhat the center of attention—the "normal" walk is so much different than her usual walk, but thank God, the scarf is completely ignored because it's still spring and it's pretty normal if someone wears a scarf.

"Is she strutting…?" a girl said to her friend as she passes through them. Nozomi tried to not listen to what they might assume about her….but…

"I don't know… Toujou-senpai is a random person so I think that's not so surprising…"

"Yeah…who else is weirder than her among the third years…?"

They can't be blamed to judge that way, but somehow it makes Nozomi's confidence slightly drop, but doesn't change the way she walks since it's the best she can do with the pain between her legs.

Suddenly, a very loud and confident shout was heard from the gate,

"Heeeelllllooooooooo! Gurrrlllsss!"

A woman—with Otonokizaka High School uniform strides playfully in along with a similar faced woman. Nozomi feels like she know them, it didn't take long until she figures out…she met them at the Inn before! Are they even actually studying here though? She doesn't think she ever saw them here before…

"Sister, please…. Calm your tits and act like an actual school girl!"

"Ohohohohohhoho….!Gooooooooddddd Mooooorrrnnninnnnnnggggggggg!" she continued to shout again as she waves to the other students and a few teachers, staring at her in awe…

"God! Sister! You're embarrassing me!" the other woman—the one with short hair puts her palm on her own face.

"Ok…who's weirder than her…?" said the girl who said Nozomi was weird.

"Not even Toujou-senpai can beat that…." the other girl replied.

The crowd watched her maneuvering playfully into the school building, followed by the short haired one who keeps bowing and apologizing for the weirdness of her sister. Nozomi is quickly forgotten, but she is glad that someone did that. Still though, how did they even get here….?

"Oi…!" A voice that Nozomi knew, said

"Niko-chan…?" She replied as she turns around at the little girl who gets closer to her,

Niko remained silent for a moment, her eyes focused on the scarf around her neck. Soon, the black haired girl blushes madly, realizing the reason why Nozomi wore a scarf today…

"H-hey! I don't even want to know why you have all those markings!"

"Say what?" Nozomi flustered, she knows what Niko is talking about, but she absolutely has no idea how Niko knew the situation so fast.

"Heh! Putting that aside, I need to talk about something with you, when are you available to do that today….?"

Nozomi looks around for a moment, wondering if Eli is around right now…

"What do you need…? I can't really hang out with someone else for now…"

"Because of her? Sheesh… why are you dating a prison anyway…"

"It's not like that, it's just that I need to make a little confirmation, maybe I'll have to be busy with the council work."

"Hmmph…fine then, what about a phone call?"

"Tonight…?"

"Are you busy by then too?"

"I honestly don't know…" Nozomi replied,

"Ah—screw that, let's talk while getting our ass to class."

* * *

The two walked up to their class on the third floor,

Niko explained everything that she saw last time, Nozomi seems to be not surprised, but she is glad that someone confirmed it for her.

"…..that's why, I was wondering, what you think about this…?" Niko asked.

Nozomi smiled faintly at her,

"First, I really appreciate it that you decided to postpone the information to the group for me…but… honestly, if you ask me about what I think…. I have nothing…." Nozomi replied.

"Huh? Nothing? Don't you feel uncomfortable if they somehow make her their enemy…?"

"What about you now? Do you take her as an enemy….?"

"Me…? Well… I don't know…I don't like the way she sees the world, of course, judging everyone as unworthy to live… I wonder what kind of childhood she had… it's too extreme…"

"I'm sure she went through something really bad… but does that even matter? All we have to do is make sure she feels comfortable… it will need extra effort, but I guess if no one wants to do it, I'll do it…"

"I don't get you… hanging out with a person like that, do you even understand that she could be dangerous?" Niko said.

"It's not too late…she hasn't turned herself into a super villain…" Nozomi replied jokingly.

"Huh? I didn't mean it to that extreme, I was just saying that she could hurt you…."

"It's not that I wasn't used to that sort of thing…, either way, that's how it works, Niko-chan… you can't just hate someone because of her surface... Ericchi could be cold and all, but she actually has a great heart…"

"Hm…sure… I can say that about any rude ass trying to make themselves look good…"

"I've been with Ericchi for like...what…. three years? I know her as much as I know myself…"

"So she is actually your type… huh? You're crazy… "

"Are you interested in me?" Nozomi said teasingly.

"No way—ew! Not you!"

"Why? Jealous of my size?"

"Yes! I mean… No! You have oversized breasts! Not the point! What I wanted to say is, if I were you, I'd rather get out of her life, find someone else who is safe enough to hang around with… like, Maki?"

"So you're after some nice sugar…"

"W-what?! That's not what I meant, you idiot..! I mean….! Honoka and friends are good to be with too, they always give this positive atmosphere for life… good for motivation…"

"If I always take the positive side, will that be any different…? Ericchi always helps me learn and she learned from me too…or at least that's what I believe… we're not going backwards… and I know she might be stubborn…though there's a slow progress that I pay attention to… soon enough, you'll thank me for making Ericchi the warmest and fluffy friend…"

"Hmmph! Alright, but take care of yourself, ok? We're here to support you…"

"My, you're pretty sweet… I didn't expect that…"

"Hmmph! What are you saying—I'm always sweet! You never knew that?!" the little girl said arrogantly,

"But it's not like I actually care about you or anything, ok? It just that I'm worried that you stumbled yourself into deep hell… I bet the others will do the same with me…"

"So your point is…is not like you care but you worried? That's really nice of you…maybe you should be my girl…"

"Your…girl!? Are you nuts?!" Niko protested.

"Well, you're small and you seem nice, I'd like to have a daughter like you…"

"No thanks! I don't want a mother like you! Especially because you are stingy!"

"Stingy of….what?" Nozomi asked,

Niko remained silent, her eyes hinting to her breast…

"Actually, never mind, I don't think I want to have a pair of explosive balloons hanging on my chest…"

"Oh…well then…." Nozomi smiled mischievously.

"Let me—…" she raises both of her hands…

"—help you expand it!"

She quickly grabs both of Niko's breast and squeezes it really hard. Niko was screaming in pain as curious eyes watched and passed by them,

"God-Damn-it! Nozomi! That hurts!"

"Don't worry Niko-chan! Soon enough, your breast will be a few millimeters bigger…!"

"…and bruising?! You crazy woman! Get off me!"

A few second passed with Niko struggling to release herself, It was too hard until Nozomi finally stopped when she noticed a specific blonde passing by—and ignoring them completely.

 _Oops_ _…._

Nozomi quickly pulls both of her hands away from Niko.

 _This is bad_ _…_

Nozomi glanced at Eli, who didn't even bat her eyes at her, and coldly walks away as if she never knew her.

 _She must_ _'_ _ve seen that_ _…._

The purplenette bit her lips.

 _Ah…_ _shouldn_ _'_ _t have done that.. I mean_ _…_ _I knew it_ _'_ _s too dangerous to be playful around someone else for now_ _… we_ _'_ _re still recovering_ _…_

She quickly hid her hands and made distance.

 _Is she seriously going to be angry from this though? Maybe I really need to hurry up and explain_ _…_

Nozomi is about to catch up with her, but….

There was someone else—not a real person…but a soul…

She has never seen her before…but…from the description that she often heard….

Black dress, hint of beauty, slim, tall…and pale white skin….

She is somewhat creepy…

Especially when she is just following Eli around with that smug smile on her face…

Is this the person who she needs to challenge…?

Spiritual Power-wise, she indeed looks very powerful…and the most important detail for Nozomi right now…

She now knows everything she did around Eli….

But maybe that soul doesn't know that Nozomi could see her.

Surely, if that's the case, it's an advantage for her…

"Oh—Oi! Eli!" Niko tried to approach her, assuming that she realized something and attempting to explain the situation to Eli.

Nozomi remained silent, she walked into classroom with her eyes always set on the creature behind Eli—who slowly approaches the blonde and places her long skinny fingers upon her shoulder. While listening Niko trying to explain, the creature is heard to say something…

"…..my…did that girl just get some nice touches from your crush? And now she is trying to explain everything as a misunderstanding….? What a loser…we all know that she enjoyed getting touched, you can see it with your own eyes…just ignore her and stay true to your heart…"

Eli remained silent.

Nozomi frowned slightly, she really wants to make this damned creature shut her mouth, but she knows better than to play her cards too soon…

Like what Eli said, everything needs a plan—and being spontaneous is not always fine….

This creature is strong…and this creature seems to know a lot about Eli….

It will be stupid of Nozomi to try attacking without any back up…

"Can you shut your mouth and return to your seat? I don't even care about what you did…" Eli said coldly.

"Huh? Sure! But you got to believe me, ok?"

"I said, I don't care… get away from me…" Eli replied coldly again.

Niko smirked and decided to return to her seat, glancing at Nozomi and signing to her about how annoying Eli is…

Nozomi can understand something, but she might have to share this understanding to the group somehow—maybe they will help…. But maybe they will take it as a warning instead…

She will have to try either way…

"Tsk-tsk…humans are surely worthless, why don't they just kill themselves for the sake of better earth…but maybe, that's what made you exist…a population controller…." The creature said to Eli, but Eli seems to keep quiet.

"I'll meet you again later at midnight… also, make sure you get my messages… then maybe you can finish the task before midnight as well. If you do that, you'll get some nice bonus from me…"

Nozomi swears, something in her ears burned, she was so close to roaring her heart out at her…even though humans aren't supposed to roar when angry…

"…hmm...what about…I'll teach you about how to manifest your power aura? If you do that, you can eat a bigger soul….or even, intimidate your enemy…." The creature said as she brushes her fingers on Eli's chin.

"Then maybe, you can aim for a bigger target for me later…..I don't mind if you bring me some nice ogres…they are strong, best for consumption too…" she chuckled,

Again, the heat on Nozomi's ears began to get hotter and hotter….

Is this what someone calls as Jealousy?

That surely is a strong impact for her….

Maybe this is what Eli felt before…

And that was getting worse because of Nozomi's spontaneous ideas….

 _This kind of mistake shouldn_ _'_ _t be repeated again later_ _…_

Nozomi said to herself.

 _It feels so uncomfortable…I should've understood that…_

She continued with a small sigh. The creature finally left Eli…though Eli seems to be still unmoving and the cold aura is still around her. Nozomi feel like she shouldn't try to communicate for now…

* * *

Lunch Break,

Honoka, Umi and Kotori took their time to eat their lunch under a tree. Not many people like going to that spot since it's pretty far from the classroom or the school's canteen. The lesser the people, the better place for them to discuss their activity…

"…and then, that's how I realized that we should become a school Idol!" Honoka finished her story.

Umi sighed heavily…

"Honoka, I don't think…becoming a school idol will—…."

"Waaah! That sounds interesting!" Kotori cuts in.

"K-Kotori!" Umi exclaimed in her agitation.

"I mean… you say that you saw school idols helping huge amounts of souls go into the light, right?"

"Yeah!" Honoka nodded cheerfully.

"I honestly think it's not because of the idol-ing! It doesn't make any sense!" Umi exclaimed.

"We're in! Honoka-chan!" Kotori said.

"W-wait-wait! I never said I agree with this!" Umi said.

"Ok! Let's talk to Eli-senpai!"

"Ok!" Kotori replied.

"Wwaiiitt! Listen to me! Kotori! Honoka!"

Meanwhile….

"Hey, Rin, Hanayo…Why do you think Niko decided to keep the information from us…?" Maki started as she opens her lunch box, with Hanayo and Rin doing the same while sitting next to the redhead.

Rin and Hanayo paused for a moment, they seem to be troubled with the question…but….it's Maki who asked them…she will really need the answer….

"I don't know… maybe she has a reason….but…should we just leave it at that….?" Hanayo replied.

"Heh—I don't think so… maybe she is trying to protect someone… else, what other reason can that be…?"

"Hehe…maybe she didn't intend to hide it from us, maybe she just doesn't know how to tell us…" Hanayo said.

"That's possible too…but it's not really like her to try speaking of something properly…her mouth is pretty loose…."

"Then maybe it was because we're underage-nya…?" Rin said.

"Huh? Under-age?!" Maki exclaimed.

"Yeah-nya! Hehe…we're still the youngest after all…my parents often hide somethings from me because I'm still too young!"

"Oh….well, alright….I think I can get that…but really…does she has to keep us hanging…?"

"We should just wait…" Hanayo said.

"Yeah-nya!" Rin agreed.

The three walks to the canteen, Maki had to make a stop near the entrance as she started to hear something…

"…yes...exactly what I was talking about!" a girl said.

"…so you basically saw someone that looked like Ayase-senpai at midnight, except she was able to pass through walls which you automatically assumed that as the reason why the lady died the next day…?" the other girl replied.

"Yes! Quite like that!"

"Are you sure that's ayase-senpai…?"

"Well, she has this pale skin, honestly I'm not really sure about the color though, it was too dark and all I could see was the face… she really looked like Ayase-senpai…"

"How far were you from her…?" she asked.

"Like a few floors away? I often look at Ayase-senpai from afar so I know…."

"Then maybe it's just your delusion… you must be sleepy…." Said the other girl.

"Huh...really? Maybe that's the case… oh—by the way…..!"

And the two girls started to chat about something else…

Maki felt slightly bothered after eavesdropping on the conversation, she knows that some part of the story seems to be believable… not by logic, but by the knowledge she has….

This might be a real deal…

"What's wrong, Maki-chan?" Hanayo asked.

"Hmm…we might need to do a little investigation…" she said before she walks away from the two...

"Maki-chan…?" Hanayo and Rin flustered, but the two decided to follow her anyway….

* * *

The student council room,

Silent is upon the place, Eli and Nozomi quietly worked on their council work. For Nozomi, she has never been in the mood to be this serious before, but thanks to the drama—now she's stuck, keeping up the serious act, too serious….

Her eyes always stealing a glance to her surroundings—it's close to a hunger created by her own mind. She really wants to throw out her challenge immediately, though still having no plan of how she will deal with her if she was to be a lot stronger than she thought she keeps trying to convince herself to stay calm.

After a while, the blonde suddenly stopped working. It was enough to take the purplenette's attention,

"You're done…?" Nozomi asked.

Eli remained silent before a raven flew in through their window, landing a letter to Eli. Then for a moment, Eli read the letter before she write a quick reply—letting the crow fly again as she sighs.

"…..this is just the beginning of our work, Nozomi… we're never going to be done with this until the end of the semester…"

"Sheesh…I know that part, what I meant is… are you done today…?"

"I'll continue this in five minutes…"

"I see…." Nozomi replied as she gives a slight nod to her.

"…and I want to talk to you in that five minutes… can you stop working…?" Eli continued.

Nozomi stopped immediately to listen…

After confirming that Nozomi stopped completely…Eli began to talk…

"….There's a powerful soul sitting at a zoo…"

"A zoo….?"

"Yes… I don't know where that might be… but I'll be going there tonight…"

"At night…. You know how unreachable that is…"

"Nothing is not reachable for me…not anymore… that's why…if you want to come… you should only bring necessary people with you… else, we will have a hard time getting there without being known…."

"Ericchi… I think it's also impossible for me to not bring everyone… each of them has their own abilities…and they are all still learning—taking away their chance to study is not something I can do…"

Eli sighed heavily…

"Fine… then I'll just do this myself… go find something else to do with everyone…."

"It's not like I'm trying to brush you off like that…. why can't you think of a way to bring everyone…? I thought you will need just a small effort to do that, right?"

"We need people who are quiet… the animals could make a very loud noise—and will attract the guard as well…so if you're still insisting on bringing everyone… that also means that you want to have us deal with all those guards…"

"I'm very sure they can do you the favor… you just have to believe them…."

"I only have time until an hour before midnight… after that, I don't want any of you to stick around me…"

"I'll talk to them… we will arrange it and we will do you the favor…but say, what do you plan to do to the soul?" Nozomi asked.

"…..you know what I will do… but what about you…?"

"I will have to see this soul myself and get to know them… everyone will want to do the same before deciding…"

"Very well…we will see…." Eli replied plainly before she returns her eyes to the pile of work on her table...

Nozomi smiled at her,

"But seriously…if you have to choose who needs to be pleased first…Ericchi…will you choose her over me…?"

And with that, Eli stopped again. She took her time to glare at Nozomi—seems to be less amused, but Nozomi knows that there will be a very serious answer coming her way, not long after the phrased question.

The blonde stands up from her seat, and moves towards the purplenette, placing her fingers to the tip of her chin,

"Don't you dare ask me such a foolish question…" Eli said with a hint of anger in her voice before she pushes her lips into her lover's and releases it in a gentle motion….

"Is that you telling me that you will choose me…?" Nozomi asked teasingly as their eyes met the beauty.

Without any words of response, the blonde once again presses her lips, playing in more depth inside her. As the game became more intense, Eli pulled her girlfriend all the way back to her seat. She remembers that she has done something like this in bed before—but when she was about to undo the latter's coat button, Nozomi quickly grabs her hand..

"Wait… we're at school, shouldn't we limit our actions…even if we are…currently in a private place?"

Eli remained silent… she knows that what she said makes a lot of sense….

"Not that I mind some nice challenge though…." Nozomi smiled mischievously before she shoves her face closer to the blonde.

"You…" Eli smiled faintly before the two started to be passionate with each other once more…

* * *

Hallway,

Maki briskly walks—aiming to the council door while Rin and Hanayo followed after her. As Maki was about to turn the knob upon reaching the door, they hear Honoka calling out to them with Kotori and Umi walking alongside her…

"Oh! Oiiii! Everyone!" she said loudly. Maki turned her gaze to them,

"Huh…? You're all here too…?" suddenly someone else, other than Maki replied. Who happened to be right behind Rin and Hanayo.

"Oh—Niko-senpai! That's surprising-nya!" Rin said.

"Heh—what are you all doing here…?" Maki asked.

"Well—I got an idea that I want to share!" Honoka said,

"I have something to ask Nozomi…." Niko said.

"…and I have an information that I need to confirm…" Maki said.

"W-wah…everyone has their own business…" Kotori said.

"Ours is not that important, so you can go ahead…" Umi said.

"Well…mine is not that important either… but it got me serious…" Niko said.

"Then I'll go ahead first…" Maki goes in without a second to delay, not a minute passed when she quickly shuts the door again and turns around to the rest with a bright red face.

Everyone looked flustered, wondering what might be inside the council room,

"Actually… Niko, you go first…" Maki quickly pulls the little girl and pushes her into the room.

Everything was quiet for a while, until Niko opened the door, confused,

"Oi! Where are they?" Niko asked.

"Huh? Shouldn't they be inside?" Maki tried to confirm.

"Nope… check again…" Niko said as she opens the door wide, confirming that no one was inside.

"W-What?! I swear I saw them before…" Maki said as she quickly enters to the room to check.

"Hmm..Maki-chan, are you tired…?" Kotori asked.

"No way, I'm fresh and healthy!" Maki said.

"Like a vegetable-nya?"

"Rin! You know it's not necessary to say that!"

"Were they really here…?" Umi asked as she tries to peek in along with Honoka and Kotori.

"I swear I saw them!" Maki exclaimed as she keeps searching.

"Weird, are they hiding or something…? What did they do when you saw them?" Niko asked.

"Well, they were—…"

And before Maki was able to continue….

"What are you all doing here…?" Eli—appeared right behind them along with Nozomi behind her. Maki swears to herself, confused of what just happened. Who did she sees before…?

"Oh, Eli-senpai! Nozomi-senpai! I have an idea to share!" Honoka said.

"Wait…where did you all go before…? I swear I saw you two here before!" Maki said.

"We were just gone to have a little demonstration done… is there anything you all need…?" Nozomi replied.

"There are things we need to talk about…" Maki said boldly as her eyes set on the specific sapphire eyed blonde.

"Sounds like it's something serious…we should talk inside…"

* * *

They invited them inside the council room,

Maki started first—telling everyone what she had heard after interrogating the witness.

Eli—seems to be very calm despite the suspicions thrown at her, while Nozomi knew that this sort of thing would eventually come up…

She tried hard to find a reason that can make them try to forget about that and focus on the new mission that will be given to them. But before anything could escape from her lips…

"So…what are you trying to ask me…?" Eli asked coldly…

"Did you really do something? I know a few of us have the ability, if they wanted to harm someone—so I doubt you can't do what we can do!"

"….life is hard, there's a start and an end…so it's normal if someone finds their end…" Eli replied.

"You know well that it's not normal for someone to have their life end before the time…"

"What is this 'time' you're talking about here... If they end, then it's truly their time to end…"

Maki frowned deeply at her,

"So you really did something!" she said angrily.

"I-is that true? It's kind of cruel and twisted to take someone else's life…." Hanayo said.

"Maybe there's some sort of misunderstanding in the information? Or perhaps, just because she has a foreign face, she automatically assumed her to look like Eli?" Umi said.

"Y-yeah, maybe that was it…" Kotori said.

"Now-now…. Everyone…." Nozomi stood up to calm the situation.

"...it's not nice to accuse her with that sort of thing…" she continued,

"Well…what if I really did something?" Eli asked with an arrogant smile.

"Ericchi! Just—shut up! Let me handle this…"

Eli chuckled to the statement, averting her eyes away in amusement. Returning her attention back to the others, Nozomi took a deep breath…

"Ok…so…everyone… instead of….thinking too much of the past—….."

"Hey…listen…." Maki cuts in, Nozomi took a pause as her eyes set on Maki.

"….remember, that I agreed to do this kind of thing because I wanted to help you all to save the innocent from evil souls…not taking an innocent soul out of their life… if you continue to do this, I might have to work against you…." Maki said bravely as her finger points to Eli.

"M-maki-chan! She is a senior! Put that down!" Honoka said as she pushes her hand down.

"I don't know, but this is rare for Honoka to be able to read a situation…" Umi whispered to Kotori.

"I know…I thought so too!" Kotori replied.

"Well…we can make sure of where she is siding to if we try to…work again… I know that Ericchi is a little suspicious...but you can't just accuse her like that especially when you didn't see it for yourself…" Nozomi said.

"Fine... I'm up for it... but if someone is going to bail out again in the middle of the mission—I'm not going to look for her…" Maki said.

Eli smirked at the statement,

"M-Maki-chan…." Hanayo tried to calm her down.

"Hey….truly…I have no idea why you're so worked up from that sort of information. Even if there is truth in it, but I can assure you….it's not Eli who did it…" Niko said.

Eli seems to be slightly surprised from what Niko said.

"Then, probably just a foreign faced soul…?" Kotori asked.

"There's a lot of foreign people around Japan, she is not the only one…" Umi said.

Maki bit her lips,

"Hmmph!" she decided to throw her sight away instead of apologizing…

"So we're good to go…?" Nozomi smiled wryly, hoping that Maki isn't hurting too much…

"So what's the plan…?" Honoka asked.

"We're going to the zoo this afternoon…and hopefully we will be able to finish the mission before midnight…"

"The zoo?!" Everyone seems to be surprised.

"Yes… our next target is lingering around the zoo…we haven't learned the details yet but source says that it's a pretty strong soul…we should deal with it before it's too late…" Nozomi said.

"This is not the weekend, I'm not quite sure if everyone can join in…" Umi said.

"What about you though, Umi-chan?" Kotori asked.

"Fortunately, I'm free of all activities today…so I can give my support…"

"Well, I have nothing in schedule today either, so I'm good to go…" Niko said.

"We're always free, so we're good too-nya!" Rin said.

"Hehe..yup!" Hanayo replied.

Maki remained silent as she twirls the tip of her hair.

"Uoooh! We're all good to go then!" Honoka said cheerfully.

"Then…should we make a quick plan and preparation for this…?" Nozomi smiled to them,

"Yeah!"

* * *

It takes just about a few minutes for them to finish planning,

Also not to forget to tell their parents about where they were all going to go this afternoon—with a little lie about each one stay over at a friend's house. It also takes about two hours for everyone to get ready with what they need—snacks, purse, and some drinks, along with other personal goods.

Eli and Nozomi hasn't yet presented themselves at the designated area. So Niko took charge to check on everyone—a responsibility as the oldest one, she says... but while checking on them, she also explained something that she has been considering… some seem to grasp the idea, but….

"….heh…you want us to try to be friendly with her…? We did before…yet she acted that way toward us anyway…." Maki scoffed,

"….Well…continue to be kind… soon enough, she will remove that barrier…." Niko said.

"Why though? I don't get it… I mean…won't that just get us into more trouble…?" Maki said.

"She is an ass, sure, but really, you're an ass too… but you want us to accept you the way you are anyway, right?" Niko said.

"Y-yeah…but….I don't act like her…." Maki replied as she began to twirl her hair tip.

"Seriously… just try to understand that it's hard for her to remove her barrier if we always act like a jerk towards her, especially with the fact that you all often hog Nozomi around just because she is exciting to be around…"

"Hmm…I see…. so we're also the cause of her anxiety…" Umi said.

"Yep… and it's not that I want to tell you all to stay away from Nozomi or anything… I want you all to show that you're a friend for her, not an enemy or a rival that's going to steal Nozomi away from her…" Niko said.

"Actually we've been told and planned to do that as well, but we didn't really know how…." Hanayo said.

"Really-huh? Well, maybe this is a good chance, just anything friendly could work, you know…pretend that she has been your friend or something…" Niko said.

"I-I'm a little scared of her too…." Hanayo added again.

"What? You're not scared of ghosts, why would you be scared of her…?"

"I have to say, Eli-senpai is scarier than ghosts…." Kotori said.

"I Agree!" Honoka said.

Umi sighs softly,

"Honestly, no matter how hard I try, I still can't think of how to approach her either…"

"I told you, just anything that comes up to mind should work…just try to act like yourself… how do you usually treat your friend…. And if needed, be a little aggressive too…."

"A-Aggressive?!" Everyone flustered.

"Yep, just like Nozomi…." Niko said.

"I don't know…but I don't feel like doing that… maybe I'll just stay down and act as usual…?" Maki said.

"Yeah, just whatever. I know you wouldn't do anything anyway…." Niko replied.

"Good…."

And as Maki responded, Kotori noticed Eli and Nozomi heading towards them, the first thing she noticed is that they held each other's hand. Realizing it, Kotori signaled the rest to look at the two.

"Oh, there they are! Nozomi-senpaaaii! Eli-senpaaaii!" Honoka shouted and waved at them.

Immediately, Nozomi releases her hand from Eli's grasp to respond to Honoka's wave.

"Oooouu! Honoka-chan! Everyone!" Nozomi shouted back.

Once again, Kotori noticed how Eli began to look less amused, even though she's probably trying to not be upset towards such a minor thing. Quickly, Kotori shoves Umi gently with her elbow, having the bluenette give all the attention to her.

"Umi-chan-Umi-chan…" Kotori whispered to her,

"Yes…?" Umi replied softly,

"I know we're all supposed to be working on befriending her, but…can we also work to…uhm… stop Honoka's third wheeling ability from skilling up…?"

"T-third wheeling ability?"

"Y..yeah…I get the feeling she will be too honest about everything—and..maybe..it might naturally make her closer to Nozomi than to Eli…which will only make things worse…so…." Kotori pauses.

"Understood… then I should try to make her do something else…"

At the zoo,

The dusk is almost set and they just managed to get into the zoo after the long queue in the ticket booth…

"The zoo is only open until 9 PM, I think we should consider getting an event that's closest to our target area…" Hanayo said.

"Don't worry… our target is placed in one of the night events…" Nozomi replied as she looks into the brochure.

"Oh, what event is it…?" Kotori asked.

"The Circus…." Nozomi replied.

"Circus….?!" They all replied in shock except for Eli.

"That's actually interesting-nya!" Rin said.

"Y-yeah…I've never seen a circus before…!" Hanayo said.

"I don't mind…." Maki said—with a slight blush on her face, clearly showing that she is somewhat excited to the idea.

"I want to see their bear walking on a ball!" Honoka said excitedly.

"Me too, I want to see those animals playing!" Kotori said.

"I heard there used to be a monkey who was able to do archery, I'm up to look for that one…" Umi said.

"Yup! But remember everyone, pay attention to any strange details!" Nozomi said.

"Hey, maybe we should just split our seating this time, to get a better look from every angle…" Niko said.

"Sure, but then we have to hurry up before we run out of seats in every section…" Nozomi replied.

* * *

They all lined up in each of the sections,

First year's are headed towards section A, second year to B and third years to C. Rin and Hanayo stayed on the bench near the line up, while Maki—who said that she wanted to be the one getting the tickets, waited in the queue, the second year lined up together while chatting, then the third years….

"…sheesh…she is really such a troublesome one…" Niko said to Nozomi, who sat next to her, waiting for Eli who said that she can get the tickets for them.

"Hmm…I think I'm a little worried of something…." Nozomi said.

"What…?" Niko asked.

"Not sure…I feel like…she was planning out on something—as the reason of why she insisted to buy the tickets…"

"Like…what? Placing me away from you two?"

"Eh….maybe…?" Nozomi said.

"hmmph…I've prepared to deal with that, but at least I can focus that way…"

And after a few seconds, Eli returned with three tickets…

"Here…" she said plainly as she handed them to Nozomi and Niko. The seats are actually placed next to each other—and no one is separated away.

"Oh…wow…didn't expect you still let me sit next to you both…." Niko said.

"I didn't appreciate what you did last time, but I don't hate it…" Eli said with a slight blush on her face, looking away from both of them.

"Because I lied to everyone about you…?"

"You knew what I did… yet you said I didn't do it…."

"…and what's wrong with that? I mean, you're just trying to do your job, right? Besides, how did you even know that I knew…?"

"I can see what you did to me, you were reading my past through spiritual power…"

"…and you didn't attempt to block it…" Niko said.

Eli remained silent, pouting as her eyes were set somewhere else.

"Sheeesh….really, I understand that you just want someone to understand you, right? I knew that… heck, I knew someone like that…but for real, you don't have to act like a villain…. You're a terrible fail at being a villain…" Niko said.

Nozomi seems to be questioning the fact that the two seems to listen to each other.

"….just be yourself. What do you want for yourself and what do you really need… stop being shy….and stop thinking bad about yourself…have some confidence!

"I don't need to listen to your lecture…" Eli replied somewhat coldly.

"Hmmph… now, we should go to our gathering points…let's see if everyone got their tickets…" Niko said before she walks away first. Nozomi remained silent, her eyes always set on Eli who seems to be actually listening to what Niko said.

 _I guess_ _… I_ _'_ _ll just have to do my job now_ _…_

She said in her mind before she touched Eli's hand, holding it gently—which apparently was enough to surprise Eli. Now that she reacted that way, Nozomi understand her a little deeper...

She has a fear to get over… and she tries…

"Ericchi…" she whispered.

Eli glanced at her slightly.

"Just hold my hand when you're scared, ok?"

Eli remained silent, but tighten her grip on Nozomi's hand. Realizing, Nozomi smiled at her and decided to walk off with her toward the gathering point.

* * *

After a while,

They all finally managed to get all the tickets. Apparently, Maki bought the VIP tickets for both Hanayo and Rin—said that it's on her this time, while on the other side…

"And we ended up with wrong seats…." Umi said sadly,

"Hnng…I told Honoka to tell me the number…but she read me the wrong number!" Kotori said.

"….A-At least Umi-chan and I will sit together!" Honoka said as she shows her ticket—which is somewhat also way different than the other's tickets…

"Ah…right…I forgot to mention— you got the wrong ticket too…Honoka…." Umi put her palm on her face.

"D-Did I….?!" Honoka tried to read her ticket…

It's not for the circus…it's for the joy ride in one of their kid entertainment…it does contain an element of circus, but still….

"I can't believe this…." Eli mumbled, seems to be annoyed.

"Guess you will have to line up again…." Nozomi said…

"Haaaaaaaa—this is so tiring!" Honoka whined,

"It's because you're really lacking of discipline!" Umi yelled at Honoka.

"Don't waste any more time, go line up before the tickets run out…" Maki said.

"Yeah..go-go-go! Honoka-senpai!" Rin said

"Oo…ok!" Honoka said loudly before she runs to line up again.

Umi sighs heavily.

"We could've enjoyed a nice stroll around the zoo at this time…" she said.

"Yeah…. But things like this tends to happen…so I guess it's fine?" Kotori said.

"On the good side, maybe we should just use this time to hang out?" Nozomi asked.

Everyone looks at each other—realizing an opportunity that Nozomi mentioned,

"Oh! Right nya! Well… this day should be Eli-senpai's special treatment day, right?!" Rin said.

Eli once again, surprised by the statement, wondered what's with her today…

"O-Oi! Stupid! You shouldn't say that! It was supposed to be done naturally!"Niko said.

"But we're now near a nice big tree, how much more natural can we be-nya?"

"R-Rin-chan…it's different kind of natural…" Hanayo said.

Nozomi chuckled,

"There-there…we can't hide anymore…" she said as she keeps holding Eli's hand,

"….What is this thing you're planning to do with me…?" Eli asked—somewhat furiously.

"Well, you see Ericchi… they wanted to be friends with you too…but they didn't know how and decided to ask me to help them…" Nozomi said.

It's not quite the truth, but everyone seems to not object to the idea.

Eli remained silent for a moment, her eyes set on everyone's eyes—noticing that they seem to worry about the latter's response.

"What's so good about me…why are you all giving this much effort…" she said coldly. Once again, the atmosphere which was light suddenly burdened… an awkward silence is set up to them…

"Nothing…. there's nothing good about you…" Maki said, breaking the silence.

Everyone seems to be surprised—and again, this looks like it's not going to do well…

"….M…Maki-chan…!" Hanayo tried to suggest her to tone down her words.

"What…? It's the truth, isn't it? She is such an asshole, no matter what she is…" Maki continued.

Eli remained silent with a deep frown on her face.

"….but do you really think friend's are just going to accept you when you're an angel? One who did nothing wrong in all her life…?" she continued.

Everyone was quiet, awkwardly staring at the tension between the two.

"….tch… I'll be blunt, if you're expecting us to treat you special because of anything good from you, you're wrong. We're not a complete worthless bunch of garbage… we're all here to live our own life. Not for you, not for anyone else…" the red haired girl said again without a single eye contact made with the blonde.

"Hell… let me tell you that you're not the only person who lives with hate and anxiety, some might be acting like a total jerk like you, some might be trying their best to get rid of it, and some might have even gone off to do something more positive than to care about what part of them tells otherwise…"

There was an awkward silence… though the purplenette could feel that there is something sharp and deep wounding her dear friend as the grip strengthens. Realizing that she might have been scaring the others, the red haired girl tried to end the conversation.

"….I don't even want to continue telling you all my thoughts, it's up to you to think of what I just said….plus, I have no intention to humiliate you—especially with the fact that I'm younger than you. Not to mention, I'm not even proud of telling all that to you…all I know is that you're pissing me off with that attitude, I've tried to understand you before and yet you acted like I never tried…so…" she takes a step away,

"I'll be off now… get some fresh air…meet you again after the circus…" she continues before walking away from the group.

"M-Maki-chan…." Hanayo said in a worry,

"S…Scary-nya…" Rin whispered softly.

Kotori and Umi seems to be silenced, they have no idea of what to say to break the ice.

The two youngest juniors bowed politely before they head off to catch up with the red-head, while their other two juniors decide to leave the area as well to get some nice fresh air—and perhaps have a small talk with each other.

Nozomi and Eli are left with Niko….

"So…. This is awkward…right? We could've used this to walk around and have some fun…" Niko said before she sighed,

"…really…that girl doesn't know how to be friendly… but then again she is not the only one… I have to say though, there's a lot of truth in her words…maybe because she had the same experience… or perhaps someone else has told her that before she lost her friends. Who knows….?" Niko shrugs.

Eli was still quiet, with a hint of tears in her eyes as her cheeks flushed a light red—showing how hurt she felt from the speech…she tried her best to look tough though…

"Well…I don't think I can do anything… just think about it before it's too late for you…alright? I'm sure everyone is still up to be your friend at this point…" Niko continued again before she also walks away—probably just to catch up with the first years.

Once Niko finally left, Nozomi looked into her girlfriend, with a gentle gaze and a stroke to her hair…she knew that Eli wanted to cry it out, though maybe it's best to not mention since Eli is probably didn't want to make that sort of expression.

"Now…. is there any place you want to visit with me Ericchi?"

And just right after, Eli quickly pulls her away—to somewhere unknown…

* * *

Further away,

Near the insect exhibition area…

Maki finally made her stop. Hanayo, Rin and Niko also stopped right behind her…

"Sheesh…Maki-chan…slow down a bit…" Hanayo said.

"...why are you all following me anyway…." Maki replied.

"Just because you hurt someone, doesn't mean you have to run away, you know… sheesh, you're not that different from her…" Niko said.

"Yeah! Like father like son-nya!" Rin said.

"Rin-chan… I don't think that's the right thing to say! They're both females…." Hanayo said.

"Heh—what do I care now. She's probably just taking that as an offense…" Maki said.

"See…? This is really why you're not that different… I'm sure she isn't a stupid ass who prefers to hold her pride up than to fix herself…she heard you, ok?"

"I'd place a bet for that…" Maki said.

"Hmmph…whatever…. Now…you know you have that same anxiety too, right? That's why you seemed to not mind being around her before… until this one specific point where you felt like you two have gone into a different path—you wanted her to realize something and walk together again…?" Niko said.

"What about you…? Aren't you not that different than me? I knew you had anxiety too…"

"Me…? Well, I do… but as you said, some people can get over their anxiety and move on to something better—such as, how great and cute I look…" Niko said.

Maki smirked at her,

"Alright...point, you are over confident now…" she said.

"Hey-hey, but it's not like I didn't have those voice that tells me how people will think so bad about me anymore…they're still around and it feels realistic… but because I'm awesome—I completely ignore them… and became as strong as now…!"

"Err…we don't really get it, what is this voice and anxiety-nya…?" Rin asked.

"Huh…? Well…how do I put it…" Maki tried to think.

"…it feels like every time you look into someone or at least socializing with someone, you feel like they're always trying to chew you out, thinking bad about you, your face, or simply mocking you. Maybe it's true at some occasions, but it's not always the case and we tend to over think it…" Niko said.

"For me, it feels like everyone is making fun of me…even though maybe they don't actually do that…. but every time I try to deny that thought, I end up acting the opposite of what I actually intend to do…" Maki sighed…

"Maybe….that's why I can't be gentle…" she continued again.

"That sounds pretty tough for a struggle…" Hanayo said.

"Really…? But what about you two… what are the thought you have when you're looking at someone…?" Maki asked.

"M…me…? Well… I think I'm just scared of everyone in general… or perhaps I just don't like too much attention… but it's not that bad now since I met Rin-chan…like I said, she is sort of, building my confidence…hehe…." Hanayo replied.

"For me-nya… Everyone looks ok! But sometime I do feel like they're laughing at me…but maybe I don't really care that much when I'm around Kayo-chin!"

"Hmm…maybe that's right…having someone we are close with will build our confidence…" Maki replied.

"Yep…and that's why I thought, Nozomi's intention to unite us all makes senses…we all have anxiety inside of us, Eli especially, need to be reached out… we shouldn't make an enemy with her…even if it will take much effort, I'm sure it will be worth better if we make friends…"

Maki sighed to the statement,

"Easier said than done, but then again, it's just all about effort…right? I'll try to be calmer next time…"

"Yup! Hehe! Let's try again after this circus-nya!"

* * *

At the other side of the zoo,

Kotori and Umi waited for Honoka lining up—it's a little further than their gathering points, but close enough to look at the locket and Honoka who seems to be eager to get her right ticket…

The two are quiet until Kotori decided to start a conversation…

"Umi-chan…" she called,

"Yes…?" Umi replied formally.

"….how does it feel for someone to have anxiety…?"

"Uhm…honestly, I don't really know…. I might be shy at times, but it's not quite an anxiety…"

"What's the difference…?" Kotori asked.

"How do I put it… I honestly don't really understand them… but…maybe, there's an essence of struggles that makes us different…."

"Isn't everyone struggling though?"

"That's right, but….hmmm…I don't know…I wouldn't say that they're the most struggling ones…or something else… but people with social anxiety tends to have depression as well. Even though there will never be anyone that tells them about how bad they are, they just feel that way and judging everyone to be cruel to them… In other words, they're sulking deep in their delusion of imperfection… worst case is that they start to center everything on themselves… or at least what they believe…"

"S…sounds awful…"

"Mm…yes… but honestly, when Eli-senpai treats us like an enemy and leaves without a word, I do feel hurt too… I mean….I never have any thoughts of pushing her away, nor take Nozomi-senpai away…but I suppose…now that it clears up about her… I'm trying my best to understand…."

"Hehe…you're right, it hurt for us too to be judged like that while we really have no intention to harm her…"

"Yes…and normally…I guess, people who have lesser confidence will walk away and find someone else who will accept them wholeheartedly… maybe…someone like Rin or Honoka?" Umi said.

"Hehehe… I think so too! No doubt people like them will get a lot of friends!"

"I agree, it's nice to have someone who accepts us immediately without even thinking too much about what our value is to them…"

"….and I suppose its fine for us to express what or who we are!" the ash brunette added. Then as they chatted, Kotori set her eyes down to somewhere behind Umi. A small creature moving closer to them….and makes her realize that they're standing near a penguin exhibit—that's how she could see a penguin approaching them with its innocent eyes.

"W-waah! Umi-chan!" She excitedly pointed to the penguin, Umi turns accordingly…

"Ah! A penguin! So cute!" Umi said.

"Yeah!" Kotori said cheerfully.

"Does it want to eat something?" Umi said as she looks closer to the innocent looking penguin.

"Uhh…I wonder if it's ok for them to eat biscuits…" Kotori tried to search her bag.

"I don't know, maybe we shouldn't try feeding it with…" Umi said.

"Ah…you're right…we don't know if they have any allergies or not…"

And the two get quiet—Kotori might not be thinking of anything related to their previous conversation…but…

"Hey…Kotori…." Umi called her softly.

"Hmmm…?" The ash brunette replied softly as well,

"…maybe… there's a big reason for someone to be anxious after all…"

"…what do you mean….?" Kotori asked.

"….looking at this penguin reminds me…about animals that are raised in the zoo will never be able to return to the wild…" Umi continues,

"Uh…why?"

"Because they were born and grown with comfort and safety, if they are to be returned to the wild, they have a very high chance to not be able to survive…" Umi replied, somewhat a little sad to speak of it.

Kotori remains silent to listen further,

"….just like someone who always finds comfort in their life, maybe at one point, they will stumble into a prey that will devour them fully…"

"Hehe…but…Umi-chan… on the bright side, there should also be someone who acts like the zoo keeper for them… someone who knows about both sides… someone who can protect and someone who can take care of them… just like you and me!" Kotori said cheerfully.

"You….and me….?" the bluenette could feel something tickling her cheeks.

"Yup! You will be the one to protect us, and I will take care of everyone!"

"O…Oh…." Umi blushed slightly redder,

"Hnn…what were you thinking when I said 'You and Me', Umi-chan?"

"N-Nothing..nothing at all…ahaha…" Umi laughed awkwardly.

"Hnnn…please tell me?"

"A-Ahahah…by the way, an animal that's raised in the zoo is not always not be able to survive in the wild, I heard there's some zoo that raises their animal to be released to the wild when ready…"

"You're changing the topic, Umi-chan… what were you thinking about before…?"

"M-maybe that's why some parents are strict on their kids! They want them to be independent! Even if they have to hate them in the end! But I'm sure—later, they will realize this and understand how much their parents truly love them!"

"Hnnnn…Umi-chan….!"

* * *

The Zoo's lake,

Eli took Nozomi to ride on one of the swan boats, it looks rather silly, but Eli insisted that it be the only place for them to be able to talk with each other without getting any suspicion. Eli didn't cry—or at least she tried not to….

Seeing her struggling made Nozomi feel somewhat troubled, but can she really speak about this? Will it tick her off…?

"Ericchi…." she finally decided to try and communicate,

"I didn't even ask them to treat me special…." Eli responded immediately.

Nozomi remained silent,

"I'm not thirsty for attention at all!" she continued again.

"I know…." Nozomi replied with a soft smile.

"Why you didn't tell them then?" Eli seems to be angry with the fact that Nozomi didn't speak of anything when what she knows…

"Well…." Nozomi pauses for a moment….

"…can I really tell them…? If I have to be honest about it, you do look like someone who expects everyone to treat you special, with that attitude…"

"I didn't ask them to befriend me, they're the ones who wanted to befriend me…."

"That's arrogant of you, don't you think…?"

"What's so arrogant about it? I never had the intention to socialize with anyone else…"

"…What makes you so good when someone has to go through that much trouble to be able to be your friend…?"

"What about you? Why are you going through this much trouble?"

"Well—I do have this love and you do too, right? After we got through so much together, and you finally accept me fully after that night…hmmm… could you be wanting each of them to get laid by you first?"

"N-No way!" Eli replied with an extremely red blush on her face.

"See..? You already have someone who wants to treat you special, why would you demand for it again and again?"

"I...it just that…I thought, it's better for them to be off than to be friends with me… there's no benefit in it…"

"Ericchi darling… you know that is not the case, right? Does everyone have to benefit from befriending someone?"

"Are you not?"

"Well, I certainly do get all the benefits from befriending you, but it doesn't have to be the reason of befriending someone…or to put it simply, they just want to be your friend…and nothing else… they're not intending to harm you or anything…"

"I don't care if they're trying to harm me, I'm used to it…"

"….Sheesh…Ericchi…you're just too stubborn, aren't you? We all know who is getting hurt right now…not them, but you, because now, you're thinking too much about it…I believe they're now having fun around the zoo—not sulking about you." Nozomi said.

Eli bit her lips silently in response, averting her eyes away with her bitter expression…

Nozomi smiled faintly to her, then grabs both of her cheeks and gently presses her lips on her. Releasing in a tentative motion, Eli took her time to stare at her girlfriend…

Wondering what that was for…

"Does this cheer you up…?" the purplenette asked.

Eli remained silent, still somewhat surprised of what she did.

"….no? Well…then I guess I'm just taking advantage of having such a cute girlfriend like you…"

"Nozomi…." Eli pouted at her.

"What? I honestly think you are cute… trying to be a big, badass villain, and ends up being a scared puppy who just wants to mate with me…"

"Can we not mention the "mating" part?"

"Hmmm….? Are you embarrassed? You shouldn't be. Considering, I've seen you naked… you've seen me naked… there's nothing more embarrassing than being naked, right?"

"Witty ass…" Eli said still with a pout on her face.

Nozomi giggled to her reaction,

"Now-now, Ericchi… now you know how easy people misinterpret your intentions… and you know how people react to your reactions… don't you think it's really time for you to open up a bit…?"

"They'll be getting hurt from befriending me…."

"Nope… you're the one who is scared of getting hurt…that's why you're hurting them first…"

"How could you be so sure about that…"

"Because I'm here with you now… I told you, dealing with you feels like dealing with myself… you're my reason to change…and I hoped that we can share this experience and change for the better…we all know that deep inside you are lonely, right? That's how you fear it will be worse as people come and go from you?"

Eli remained silent, trying to contemplate what she just said…

"I felt the same too, ever since I've started moving a lot because of my parents job. I decided to close myself, staying away from them is better than to realize that I've never been in anyone's precious memory…they hurt me because they always lied about missing me… so that's why I decided to hurt them first later… and not caring about what they would say about me…"

"So why are you approaching me?"

"Because I want to try to love someone like me…I wanted to fall in love with you…and I did…"

Eli finally put on a faint smile to the statement…

"…I guess you did make me fall in love with you too…but…strange… how could I fear to lose you to others…"

"Easy…because you don't want to get hurt anymore…that's why you're trying to imprison me within your heart…it's like you've found a precious treasure…" Nozomi smiled wide to her, Eli seems to be shy to admit that it's true.

"But…if only you are willing to open yourself up a bit, maybe you will find more treasure…and maybe, you'll get stronger too from trying to protect what you already have…or worst case, you'll get stronger from trying to get what you lost back…"

Eli nodded,

"You're right… maybe…I could try to open up a bit… but in all honesty…it's still scary for me to imagine what I'll be doing to them…"

"What do you mean…Ericchi? What are you going to do to them?" Nozomi asked.

"You see…Nozomi, maybe it's not as simple as it is… and maybe you won't believe me… but…ever since I was a little girl, there were always these whispers in my ears—about what people think about me….or about how they're going to laugh at me… that's why I always prevent myself from trying to be too close with anyone—until at one point… well… you know… I had a sexual orientation that might be said as….weird…."

"Nothing weird from loving a woman… I disapprove that as something weird…"

"I…I know… you're just the same with me…but still… there were some bullies around me—and because I've never made any friends, some people actually took enjoyment from cornering me…while the rest of them watched me… I don't know what they might have been thinking. But I feel like they're laughing at me…and because of what was whispered to me also said the same thing. I always lived to believe that as something true…"

Nozomi remained silent to listen…. their hands in each other's grasp while they also keep straddling their swan boat.

"….do you remember our first year…? With that…bully senior…." Eli said.

"Yep, what about it?" Nozomi replied.

"…I feel really glad that you stood with me…that's why I let myself try to get closer with you—thinking that..perhaps, we really do have similar thoughts… but it still didn't stop the whispering from telling me to be cautious…there might be something behind you—or maybe, there might be really something you want from me…"

"Well…I certainly want to get laid by you…"

"Sheesh! Nozomi! Be serious!"

"But I'm serious!"

"Whatever…but anyhow…for some reason, when there are only two of us alone… I feel like those whispers will never come back to reach me…but when there's someone else there with you…I feel like those whispers getting stronger and louder… perhaps that's why that black dressed woman picked me and not you…? I mean, I heard you're pretty infamous too in the spirit world…"

Nozomi remained silent this time, trying to think of the possibility of something else—knowing that she did see something back then…

"Hmm…I wonder, why that woman chose someone who already has a whisperer in her ears…?"

"That's what I'm wondering too, I have no clue of what this whispering is. I've tried to convince myself that maybe a delusion, created by my own trauma, but the older I grow, the more real it feels…"

"Have you tried to ignore it completely…? I know you're good at that…"

"I have, but it gets closer and sometimes, it feels like it's being mad at myself. Especially when I try to open up to someone….she did get upset too when you approached me for the first time…"

"Hmm…well, Ericchi, if I were to be just a mere someone, I'd probably be saying that you're just trying to make an excuse for your silliness with that somewhat ridiculous story… but...as for what my vision tells me, I see no sign of anyone in this very place now… maybe I have to wait for the right time…"

"Maybe… but…you know what, Nozomi… maybe it's still dangerous for you to try to get to know further… what I know so far about her is that she knows everything—even if I try to hide it from her…"

"I'll live… don't worry, Ericchi..."

Eli sighs,

"….alright…but I have to remind you again…. if it gets too dangerous, I want you to retreat….and leave me alone…"

"You're too serious about this, Ericchi… I'm sure I can get that done in one night…"

"I can't let you do all the reckless things…especially if you're going to do it alone…"

"I'm not going to do it alone, I will do it with them… that's why, it would be nice if you get to know them, maybe they will help me to help you…."

"You're putting them in danger…"

"Maybe I am, but would you still deny them for trying? We're all learning, you see…I thought you knew that? Or maybe you're just too busy thinking of how jealous you are since I get along with them?"

"Well I'm seriously jealous because you left me for them!" Eli said.

"See? Sheesh…. Ericchi. do you truly love me or not? If you truly love me, you would let me do things that make me happy—and with a moderation of course…not that you can't scold me if I go too far…."

"In my defense, you were neglecting the council work…"

"The council work that you made up? Even Principal knew that you're making the job harder just so you have a reason to nag me…"

"I just love it to be done perfectly, those worthless members don't live up to my standards…"

"Why didn't you bother teaching them? it has always been me who tried to, but it still didn't stop you from taking up their job…oh— now I remember! Did you know when you snapped on them, they were…wondering if they are actually qualified as council members? I have to convince them to look in another way—and I swear they were all so sad and embarrassed… do you truly love planting those fear on others instead of respect?"

"That's—….!" Eli pauses, not knowing how to counter that argument.

"See…? We're back again…with… your fear of being hurt… as the reason of why you're hurting them first…"

Eli's face kept the red tint, having no idea of what to say again.

"But worry not, Ericchi…since I got over my fear because of you…I want you to get over your fear because of me too…then we shall be the best soulmate and couple ever to have existed…!"

"You're weird…." Eli said immediately.

Nozomi chuckled to her reaction again,

"…but maybe that's why I love you…I've never seen anyone weirder than you…"

Eli started to smile,

"Well, if that's the case, it makes me want to prevent anyone being any weirder than me…" Nozomi replied with a playful smile before she was pulled gently—this time, for a romantic kiss as their feet straddled the pedals, passing through the clear lake, with plenty of fishes calmly swimming on the bottom above the lights that were intentionally placed under the water to lighten the dark night.

Their kiss is deep and sweet—they care nothing about being seen by anyone. There was almost no one else around the lake, perhaps they're all preparing for the night event in the zoo? Who knows… anything is good for them… Perhaps, even the weirdest will not bother them …or so they think…

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! EVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! FASTEEEERRR!" there was a shout from a distance, Eli seems to care nothing, but Nozomi opens her eyes while her lips were still intertwined with the blonde's—realizing that the name is somewhat familiar….

"JUST GET DOWN AND WORK YOUR ASS! WE ARE ONLY SPINNING AROUND HERE!"

Nozomi could see, the two siblings riding on a swan boat, except the younger one is the only one who rowed while the older one…well…she is certainly on top of the boat…except it's not in a normal way….and their boat also seems to not be moving normally either…

In fact, they're moving like a spinning top on the water surface!

Are they even human? Will they expect to get sick later?

She also wonder, should she even need to mention that? Or perhaps… does she need anyone to make her not the weirdest? Because after all, being weird is not bad when she gets to be loved in return…

It's way better than being fake…

Or being someone else than her true self…

But then, what is true and what is not? Should she label her ego as the truth and her understanding as fake?

Does she really fake herself when she tries to act out of her understanding?

These questions are something she should think about, though maybe not at the time her lips enjoy the tender and warm kiss.

* * *

 **Ok, that's all for now! See you next chapter~**

 **Then, to answer someone question, why did i use so much "..." , i'm gonna say, I was trying to make a point where readers make a few second delay when reading. I know it's wrong to use "..." for that though.**


	19. Ch19 : Circus Night

**Ok! Thank you for the patience!**

 **Crimson finally got time to send me this~ Hope you still enjoy it!**

 **Thanks for reviews/comment/faves/follows!**

* * *

The Circus Night,

Eli, Nozomi, and Niko sat in a middle row together, watching the show run on the stage. With Lion, Tiger, Horses and Elephants standing next to each other. Along with line of people, that were probably the animal trainers. Waiting for their turn after the acrobat shows, the animals were silently staring into the blank space—taking no interest to the show that they probably have watched for a hundred times now.

The acrobat's certainly put on a good show—though something feels off on the stage, something that made the air feel heavy and unfriendly for a certain group. Rin and Hanayo tried their best to pay attention to every detail, both from their regular vision to the spiritual one. Maki, on the other hand, couldn't see anything but the show itself. And found herself extremely intrigued by it. Her eyes sparkled and her hands clasped together….

On the other side of the room, Honoka, Umi and Kotori are watching quietly, each of them ended up sitting separately. It's still unknown whether they took notice to anything supernatural, aside form the show itself…have they forgotten of their main purpose?

Nozomi and Eli could see in better detail, there are so many souls seen on the stage—not only human, but the animals as well. Niko looked serious when trying to focus on almost everything she saw, causing her to not quite enjoying the show…

After a while, the purplenette started to get slightly bored and began to look around for another source of entertainment. Looking at the blonde is certainly her own personal entertainment, but reminding herself to not bother Eli's focus. So she decided to chat with someone else who sat next to her instead…

"Nikocchi, what are you looking at?" Nozomi said.

"I don't remember when you started calling me Nikocchi, but shut up…I'm trying to focus some more… there's certainly something wrong with this circus…even when the rest of the audience seems to enjoy it…"

"I don't remember either, it just escaped from my lips! Either way, what'ca looking at?"

"Not sure….something just feels off… well… the animals are trained and disciplined, for sure, but they're not treated badly, while knowing that this is a zoo and they sort of know how to treat them. The Acrobat's are also well trained and disciplined, no sign of abuse….hmm…what else…?" Niko tried to locate other clues

"The lead of the circus….I feel something off about him…" Eli suddenly said.

"Huh? Well…yeah… him… hmmm….." Niko tried to focus again.

"Ah—!" she widens her eyes.

"What is it, you two?" Nozomi asked curiously.

"I wouldn't want to speak it out loud, but can't you try it on your own, Nozomi? It's quite simple and with your current spiritual level, you should be able to do it at ease…"

"Well—thing is, I don't know how to do it…"

"Just try to deduce it on your own…" Niko said.

"Sheesh… why am I getting thrown around like this—…" Nozomi quickly make a turn to Eli

"—Ericchi! Teach me!" she said playfully—but instead of being taught, Eli kissed her lips quickly and returned her attention back to the man. Thank god, Niko was still too busy focusing, she didn't notice that at all…

But really, it's shameless to do that out of nowhere in a public area.

Nozomi blushes madly, hoping no one to saw that…

But what was her intention?

Did she try to teach her?

How is that even teaching…?

For whatever sake, now, Nozomi went all quiet—focusing on the show and her vision again…

When Nozomi decided to focus—she realized that something was added into her vision, a transparent vision set a layer on her sight, then it eventually became much clearer when she focused on something specific.

For the first time, she was focused on a lion. From there she figured out that the lion was raised since it was a baby—which was almost be killed by her own mother for unknown reasons. Then the circus took him, taught him and praised him with love. At one point, he finally grew up—and he was also allowed to mate with another circus lion.

 _Why do I get that kind of detail? That_ _'_ _s pretty detailed…_

She said in her mind.

 _Do I want to know whether someone mated with another_ _…_ _? I certainly don't_ _…_ _but, is this what they see as well?_

She asked herself as her eyes set on Eli and Niko.

 _Or_ _is it just me_ _…?"_

She asked again.

 _Maybe I should just try someone else anyway_ _…_

She continued as she tried to focus on the circus leader…

…well..

There certainly is something…

Dark….

And….

Not so friendly…

There's a vision of a woman, who complained to him about how he never returns home. She said something like….

'Why are you not returning again—?! Do you love those animals more than us?'

Then the vision suddenly changes.

There's a big house, with a big garden…Nozomi was expecting it to be a garden for animals since they were the earlier topic, but…instead of animals, there's a group of young men—gambling with cards and real money.

'Yo—dad! How's the tiger?' said the young man cheerfully.

'haha—don't you ask that to him, your mom could get angry! You don't want an hour lecture!'

'hahaha! Ain't nobody got time for that…!'

And now for some reason, Nozomi realized that it wasn't a cheerful banter for him, instead it was a mockery.

'I thought you love them too!' sounded a crying man's voice—which was probably his own.

'I did—but if it makes you love them more than your own family, then I have no choice but to punish you…' the woman said—and a vision of a dead monkey was sighted. The cause was from a blunt force—but….is this truly? Does anyone really have the guts to be that cruel?

The next thing she could see— a brute force from an unknown man was applied towards a woman. It was cruel and much more brutal that she could ever imagine.

A murder had occurred in his past—but she wasn't sure of what she was seeing. Though, she knows something—something about where the murder happened…

It was on this very stage!

The one where the show was taking place!

No wonder there's such a stagnant aura around them—now they just have to figure out where this woman's soul is or what she's feeling right now…

Or maybe, she needs to figure out what happened next…?

Like, where the body was hid…?

Nozomi once again tried to focus…

And she swears…

What she sees is something really gruesome. The woman was mutilated, then fed to all the carnivore animals—her bone remains were crushed and thrown in a trash bag along with the other carcass….

This is crazy…

Perhaps the woman's soul is what they're looking for…

With such a cruel treatment, she's probably up for sweet vengeance right now…

She needs to be stopped before her soul becomes stronger—and things could get ugly for this place...

* * *

After the show,

The audience began to leave immediately. They seem to be oblivious about the unsettling atmosphere, while the specific group stayed inside as they watch the circus staff clean up what was left after the show.

"The show was great, don't you think?!" Honoka asked to her close friends cheerfully. Umi and Kotori gave her a worried face instead,

"Honoka… you weren't paying attention to what we needed to do…were you?" Umi asked back.

"Eh…the details of the show…right?"

"Hnnn..that is true….but… not quite…." Kotori replied.

"Oh…." Honoka gloomed.

Kotori and Umi sighed heavily.

"Now…how can we match up our data if you weren't paying attention…" Umi said sadly.

"W-what data?" Honoka asked.

"Uhm…well…this is what I have, Umi-chan…" Kotori handed her a note—ignoring the clueless Honoka.

Umi took a moment to read and crosscheck the information written on the note, fortunately, some of them matched up with what she had...

"Ah…yes… I saw this too…" Umi said.

Honoka quietly tried to take a peek,

"A strange pair of hands appeared from the ground—giving commands to the animals…then a pair of legs were floating through the acrobats… but there wasn't any full-body appearance during the show…" she read…

"But we certainly see bodies!" Honoka said loudly

"Not that body…. not even the other one! We're talking about—the soul…" Umi said.

"Oh…"

"It's the body parts, Honoka-chan…." Kotori said.

"Body parts…? Uhm…not quite sure what you're talking about…" Honoka said.

"This is why you should've been paying more attention!" Umi scolded again.

"Uh…but I certainly did see that there's a soul presence helping the show go smoothly…"

"That's all you know…?" Umi tried to make sure,

"Eh…uhm..what else…." Honoka tried to think.

"…what about the….uhm… unnecessary sound?" Kotori asked.

"Sound…? I didn't hear any unnecessary sounds…perhaps we should confirm with Maki…" Umi suggested.

"You mean…the off beat drums?" Honoka asked.

"Yeah… there was an off beat drumbeats, but I wasn't sure of it…"Kotori said.

As they talked, Maki, Rin, and Hanayo approached them…

"Senpaii! How was it nya?!" Rin asked cheerfully.

"Oh…Rin…." Umi smiled at her as she watches them getting closer.

"We got a little information from our side…what about you?" Kotori asked.

"Hehe… we got little too—we couldn't really catch it, but I suppose we can try to connect this information with each other…?" Hanayo replied.

"Yup! We surely can!" Kotori replied to her as she took her notes from Umi—then ran to Hanayo to crosscheck them.

"W-wah! Maki-chan! So you heard the offbeat drum too?"

"Yeah…and I mentioned it there because something feels off with the sound itself—it's like it was made to be put on speaker rather than the correct one…"

"W-wait…so the drums that we heard…?"

"It was crystal clear, and not through the speakers…"

"Uh…is it possible that the speaker is just late…?"

"No way, they have different tones and power…" Maki replied.

"W-wow…but I suppose I should've been amazed that the correct one was the one that didn't come through the speakers…I thought the speaker was meant to be for the ones that were prepared for the show….?"

"That's certainly the case…but they can't lie to my ears…" Maki replied again.

"Uh… there's also this… a headless, armless, and legless body floating above the audience seats…it appeared right on top of your area…"

"W-what?!" Honoka, Kotori and Umi were surprised to the statement made by the timid girl.

"H-how did you even see that…." Umi said.

"It's true-nya! It looked like a soul!" Rin added.

"I'd be actually scared if it wasn't in a soul form!" Kotori said.

"You're not scared of the soul-nya?" Rin asked.

"Well…we are pretty used to these soul stuff—and know that they can't touch us so… we don't really get scared of them…." Umi replied.

"Hehe, yeah…sometimes they just look scary or gruesome…" Kotori added.

"Ooohh! Our seniors are here!" Honoka suddenly said as she points to the other trio who walked to approach them.

"Hey—everyone!" Nozomi greeted them.

"How was it for you all…?" Niko continued.

"Mmmm….we have our information written in the report… we saw a few body part souls involved in the stage…" Kotori said.

"Ah… just as expected…we know where that comes from…" Nozomi said.

"The only part we didn't see is the head, I wonder where that might be…?" Umi added as she also takes a look at the written notes.

"Hnn…I don't know if we want to look for that….hehe…it's kind of…scary to imagine us looking for…. A head without a body…" Hanayo said.

"But we need to find it, might be a crucial detail…" Nozomi said.

"I guess I should just give up on this mission then…I don't think I want to look for a head…." Maki said.

"Hmmph! What a coward! I thought someone was swearing at another that she will not look for her if she bails out in the middle of the mission!" Niko said as she glanced to Maki.

"Heh—I didn't mean to bail out, I just can't do the job because I can't even see them!" she replied loudly.

"Now-now, let's just get on with the next step, ok? We don't have forever, plus, remember that we have to finish this before midnight…" Nozomi said.

"Ah…right…so what do we need to do next…?" Umi asked.

"We hide…" Nozomi replied immediately…

"H-hide…? Wh-why….?" Umi asked again.

"We need to stay and go unnoticed by the guards, then after everyone leaves, we will do our investigation…" Nozomi replied again.

"Just how long do we need to hide?"

"The circus will be closed soon—so we probably need about an hour to wait for the staff to leave…Hopefully, there will be no guards tasked to patrol inside this building…"

"If it is soon, then we should probably look for a place to hide quickly…." Kotori said.

"Don't worry about that, Ericchi has figured out a place…"

"E-Eh…?" Everyone flustered, their eyes quickly set on Eli...

Eli sighed softly…

"I guess you want me to do it now, huh?"

* * *

Once again,

They're all in the middle of the darkness…with only lights that came from the ceiling gap.

"W….where are we exactly….?" Honoka asked.

"I told you, it's right under the audience benches…." Nozomi said.

"H-how can we all be here…? I thought there weren't any entrance to this area…"

"Well… that's a little personal don't you think?" The purplenette replied playfully.

"Hey—I don't think it's something personal to ask about how we all can get here when there's no entrance…."

"Should we even ask about how we will get out…?" Niko said.

"Maybe we should just ask how we know that they left if we're all here under the benches…"

"There's Kayo-chin, don't worry-nya!" Rin said.

"Uh… yeah…I sort of think that too…" Hanayo said.

Nozomi giggled,

"So…next question…?"

"There is no-next question you idiot! Just answer how we all got here…"

"Well then, since none of you are appreciating my privacy…I'll just tell you to ask Ericchi…"

"uh…" Everyone went quiet—scared to talk with the blonde who has been staring at them quietly.

Niko beckoned to everyone, which was responded by everyone except for Eli and Nozomi. They started to discuss….looking away from the two.

"Why would they need to do such just to talk with me…." Eli mumbled,

"That's what you get because you're easily ticked off… you make people feel uncomfortable…." Nozomi replied bluntly.

Eli remained silent, it's still unclear as to what she should feel towards the latter's words. Nozomi smiles at her and grabs her hand,

"….if only you can make everyone as comfortable as how you make me, maybe everyone will love you the same way I love you…." Nozomi said with her playful smile.

"Not like I need everyone to be like you…. one is enough…" Eli replied again with a slight blush on her face. It's true that it was dark, but with just a small light, Nozomi could see the hint of red, causing her to giggle from the 'cuteness.' She couldn't help but to plant a gentle kiss on her cheeks.

"You're so loveable if you don't deny what your heart says…" the purplenette whispered suggestively.

"….it's not that I want to have that anxiety… it just exists in me…" Eli replies.

"Yep… that's why, removing that is my job—no…. it's our job… I don't want you to only feel comfortable when you're being around me…I want you to start being comfortable with yourself….and with our friends too…"

"Mmmh…." Eli grumbled again.

And suddenly…

"B-Bweeh?! M-Me?" Maki exclaimed.

The rest of the group makes a begging face at her.

"F…Fine…." Maki turns around, facing both Eli and Nozomi.

"Good luck Maki-chan!" Hanayo cheered in a hushed tone.

"Good-luck-nya!" Rin said in the same manner.

"Heh….alright…sooooo….. Eli…" Maki started,

"Eli-senpai, Maki-chan! She is a senior!" Honoka loudly whispered.

"Huh….who cares about that…" Maki replied.

"I knew it will be a bad idea to ask her…." Niko put a palm on her face.

"We should've asked Umi-chan…" Kotori whispered.

"You can address me like that, if that makes you feel comfortable…" Eli said.

Everyone looked shocked by the small revelation.

"….how about this… I know it might be hard, but I want you all to never address anyone between us as a senior. Be as comfortable as you like…" Eli continued as she crossed her arm.

"U…uh….ok…so…that makes it…. Eli-chan?" Honoka asked.

"H-Honoka!" Umi panicked.

"Sure…I don't mind…" Eli replied.

"O..Oh…." Umi responded in her surprise.

"Ok! Eli-chan! How did we get here?" Honoka asked.

"H-Hey! I thought you wanted me say it!" Maki said.

"It's still a secret, but I'm the one who is responsible. Don't worry, everyone will be outside once we are sure that all the staff left…" Eli replied.

"Oh—ok!" Honoka replied cheerfully.

"Uh….E-Eli-chan…. c…can I…ask a question too?" Hanayo said timidly.

"Yes…" Eli replied.

"…..i-is it really ok for me to think you as friend now…?" Hanayo asked.

Eli slightly jumped at the question,

"I—I mean! I've been thinking you as my senior…so…." Hanayo's voice faded.

"What are you talking about…? Why can't you have a senior as a friend?"

"O…oh….i-it's kind of silly isn't it…?"

Eli has no idea how to respond to the statement, so she decided to remain silent.

"A-Anyway…." Umi tried to save the conversation,

"I…I'd like to ask something as well…" she continued.

"What is it…?" Eli replied—her voice is still a little stiff and cold.

Umi slightly hesitated, but she decided to just ask away…

"…I really admire your perfection in many studies— would you mind teaching me sometimes?"

"Fine with me, as long as you come at the right time…." She replied.

"Thank you…" Umi replies politely with a gentle smile.

"Oh—Oh! Eli-chan! I want to ask too-nya!" Rin said cheerfully.

"Go on…" Eli replied.

"Well—what about this, hmm….what's your hobby?"

"I have plenty of them… depends on my mood I suppose…"

"Oooohh! Tell us tell us!"

And they began to talk as they waited for the time to pass….

* * *

Meanwhile….

A flipped swan boat and two siblings lay on a stone path near the lake… Eve and Lilith, who were finally able to stop their boat from spinning. For unknown reasons, neither of them feels sick or nauseated, as if they are very used with such kind of swiftness...

"Damn you, sister…. I hate you so much…"

"Thank you—I love you too, Eve...you have nice legs…"

"Oh shut up you whore… why did you even want to pay a visit to this zoo, if you aren't even interested in looking at the animals…?"

"Well...humans seem to be a lot more interesting than those animals…"

"Is it her again?"

"Mmmmmm….Maybe…." the older one replied with her cheeky voice.

"….when are you going to give up…"

"I don't know… don't care…but don't you think it's nice to see love between girls blooming?"

"…sure…. Idiot… whatever…."

"We should go to the other world now…"

"…and why is that…?"

"It's to see Dai Mao of course! I heard he looks handsome!"

"And you are…what? Planning to get into his bed…?"

"If I could do that, sure… does he have a wife?"

"From what I know, my stupid sister… he is… a king….and he already has…a family...which includes a wife and some kids…"

"…I'm sure he won't mind having kids from me…"

"Oh…please… sister…no…. I also heard his wife is pretty strict and scary…."

"Hmm….? The only 'pretty' I heard is that she must be really pretty…"

"…..sister…I don't know what to tell you anymore…." Eve put her palm on her face.

"Excuse me…" a woman approaches them.

"Oh...a woman! Hi!" Lilith said cheerfully.

"Do any of you happen to know where the circus is…?"

"The circus…? At this time of night? They probably already closed their show and preparing to go home…" Eve said.

"Yeah… what do you want to do in a circus at this time of the night?"

"Hm…maybe I should've introduced myself… my name is Chieko Harada, a detective…. I just happen to be here to investigate a case…"

"Ohhh…is it a murder…?" Lilith asked excitedly.

"Hmm….maybe, but it's more like a missing person investigation. A woman was reported missing by her family yesterday, her husband—the leader of the circus here, said that she was last seen at home Her son didn't help much but her daughter mentioned her coming to this zoo before she went missing…"

"Oooh! I know! her husband is the murderer!" Lilith said.

"W-wait...how could you just jump into that conclusion!"

"It's pretty obvious! Because he said she was at home! Her daughter said she went away!"

"Sister…please… you don't just jump into conclusions like that…"

"Well…this isn't a weekend, nor is it the start of the weekend either. So their daughter will have more past information than the husband…so yes, still obvious… he is the murderer because he lied about such kind of information…" Lilith continued.

"I…I don't know how you can just say that, it's a crime to accuse the innocent, you know!" The detective said.

"My-my, you're not as smart for detective are you? I thought it's clear that the child goes to school early in the morning, while the circus leader goes only a few hours before the show. This zoo only has two shows, one around dusk and the other at night…"

"Ok—that's it, you're coming with me, miss!" the detective said,

"With pleasure! I don't mind to come while standing!"

"Urgh…sister…." Eve placed another palm on her face.

* * *

Back inside,

The light has turned off, and all the staff has gone home. The group finally sneaks out from hiding. Wanting to not attract unnecessary attention, the nine girls decided to not use flashlights. So with no lights, they have to rely on the night light shining from outside the building.

"Ok, everyone…listen carefully…" Nozomi started,

The group listens quietly...

"…..we're going to look in teams again… but this time, we will go in pairs…"

"In pairs…? But there's nine of us here!" Niko said.

"One of you will have to stay here as a scout…someone that will warn everyone if there's anyone else coming…" Eli said.

"Yep…and worst case scenario, we need this person to cause a loud distraction and help buy us some time…" Nozomi said.

"Loud distraction… for some reason, I know who the perfect candidate for that is…." Umi said.

"Y…yeah…me too…." Kotori added as she glances towards Honoka.

"Alright, so that's set… Honoka, you're the scout…"

"Ok! Leave that to me! But what should I do if it's not necessary to make any distraction?"

"Ah—so that's why you wanted me to bring these…" Maki said as she took out four walkie-talkies from her bag….

"….W-wah…? How did you get those-nya?" Rin said

"…eh…? Well… these are just some spares from the clinic…"

"Oh…is it really ok for you to borrow those?" Umi asked.

"Yeah, no worries... We have a lot of them…" Maki replied. While a pair from each group began to pick out a walkie-talkie. Not having to discuss about who will go with who.

"Nya-nya…this is Rin-chan nya, over!" Rin talked into her walkie-talkie..

"Hey...isn't it a little too loud…?" Hanayo asked.

"If you're using the speaker, yes, it is… that's why I also brought these…." Maki replied as she takes out four headsets, handing out each one to the pairs.

"Ah….This is the expensive one… impressive…" Eli said as she attaches the headset onto the walkie-talkie.

Hearing her being complimented, Maki turns her eyes away, feeling slightly embarrassed,

"Hmmph… this is nothing…I have better ones…"

"So what are we looking for, exactly…?" Umi asked, trying to get them all back to the point.

"Body parts, it looks like the soul is split from each other…so we need to find them and get them all back together…" Nozomi said.

"How…?" Umi asked again.

"Well, I assume that each of you has your own abilities…like… you….. you can spawn spiritual weapons, right? So why not the other things?"

"Ah…like…a spiritual box?" Umi asked.

"Yes…and you must be with…Kotori-chan. I think she can touch souls…"

"U…uh…yes…"

"What about me? I can't even see them…" Maki said.

"And neither can I…." Niko said.

"Then you two need another person to pair up with…" Nozomi said.

"Alright, then I guess I'll go with Rin…" Maki said.

"Ok-nya!"

"Uh…what about the four of us go together? I think we can use some extra help from Niko-chan's and Maki-chan's abilities…." Hanayo said.

"Well, the point of being in a smaller number is to not make too much noise, can you all do that?"

"Of course…" Maki said.

"Then you're fine to go…" Nozomi replied.

"Ok-nya!" Rin said cheerfully again.

"W-wait…where should I hide…?" Honoka asked.

"You need to get on the rooftop and pay attention to both entrances. Which, fortunately, in this case is only the front and back door.…" Eli replied.

"Oo...ok...so the roof top it is!"

"Make sure you don't get caught by the guards outside this building…or we will all be in trouble…" Nozomi said.

"Got it!"

"Alright then, everyone ready?"

"yeah!" they reply loudly.

"Sssshh! Not too loud!"

* * *

Each of them have gone along with the arranged team,

Umi and Kotori headed towards the acrobat's room. Feeling pretty confident that acrobat might have something related to this case.

"…—that's pretty much my theory on this…" Umi finished her explanation,

"Uhn…I agree with you about this soul wanting to help out in the circus…but, Nozomi-chan told us that she was murdered and mutilated. I think it's strange for her to be extremely friendly…"

"We will never know when this person died. But there's a chance for her to be like Reiko…"

"Eh…but..Reiko-chan….didn't get murdered. She's not really wandering around because of vengeance. It was more like an anger, she eventually got over. She was disfigured by a train and then sought for her legs and found a way to grow it back instead…"

"Hmm… it strengthens my point, this soul isn't that bad…so we may want to be as gentle as we can…"

"Hnng…well, I think we will always have to be gentle regardless of what they are like…"

"I don't think I want to be gentle if they're bad…"

"Well... for me, being gentle is not a choice but a must, especially because we don't know them personally, so there's no reason for us to be not be gentle toward others…"

"That's…..nice of you…Kotori…." Umi replied.

"Hehe… anyhow, we should be quiet and focus..."

"Ah—true, let's keep moving…. My sword is ready!" Umi said as she takes out her spiritual sword.

"Umi-chan! No sword should be involved! Be gentle!"

"I'm joking…"

"uh…what? You're joking…? That's unexpected…"

"W….Why are you surprised from me making a joke…? It's not that weird, right?" Umi stowed her sword with a slight blush on her face.

Kotori remains silent, still trying to understand Umi's intention…

"I mean….I…I—…" the bluenette flustered.

"…I just don't want to be a spoilsport…. Uhm…..or…let's say…I…I don't want to be boring…"

Kotori couldn't help but to smile and giggle at her….

"….Umi-chan… you don't work that hard to entertain me. Plus its not like we're not dating or anything…we're just working together…"

"O...Oh…right…" Umi scratched her cheek shyly.

"Hehe…but I enjoy you being silly…"

"A-aaaah! W…we're wasting time, let's go…." Umi said as she walks ahead of the brunette.

"E—Eh? Umi-chan! Wait!"

* * *

On the other side,

Niko, Rin, Hanayo and Maki decided to get themselves to the animal cages. Most of the animals doesn't seem to be awake— the nocturnal ones are, yet they seem to be tired from the show. But the most noticeable thing is that none of them panicked when they saw the three girls walking.

"These animals are very used to the humans, huh?" Maki said.

"Yeah… I believe so…" Hanayo replied.

"…It would have been troublesome if they were used to humans. Just imagine them panicking in the middle of the show…" Niko stated.

"Yeah-nya! But it's not like that kind of thing never happened-nya!"

"W-What do you mean…?"

"Well-nya… I've heard a few times that in a another circus, animals were raging and causing injuries towards the staffs and audience. It was very scary-nya…!" Rin said.

"O…oh….I totally thought it happened here…"

"Nope, this circus doesn't have any raging animal record-nya!"

"That's good. Then I suppose they took care of them well?" Hanayo said.

"Hehe...but rumor says, they didn't do that well with the staff, there's always people getting fired or leaving each year…"

"Isn't that normal?" Maki asked.

"No, not really….not in an entertainment industry… when they hire someone, they supposedly have passed through the entry trial…so when someone is getting fired—it's either they aren't good enough for the show's future or something fishy is happening in the management…" Niko said.

"Wwoaaah…Niko-chan knows so much-nya!" Rin commented.

"Hmmph! Of course!" Niko replied proudly

"Hey, do you all hear that?" Maki asked.

"Hear what—? What does your ears hear this time…?" Niko asked.

"I hear someone singing…" Maki replied.

"No-nya…I hear nothing…" Rin replied.

Hanayo tries to think for a moment…

"…mm…can you tell where it's coming from…?" she asked.

"The stage…" Maki replies again. Making everyone turn back to where they came from.

Niko, feeling troubled began to focus on the sound and use her ability at the same time.

A fast consciousness travels to the past, revealing a vision of a woman without arms and legs, being dragged all the way to the stage. Blood trailed up to the sandy grounds, as a man with an acrobat axe in his hand, stood next to her…

' _I will…_ _.I will remember_ _…_ _.remember this_ _…._ _'_

The woman said.

' _The night may be dark and I may have never seen your true face behind that mask_ _…_ _. but I will remember this_ _…_ _because I know_ _…_ _I know who you are_ _…'_

' _You are someone who hides behind fear_ _…'_

'… _.You are someone who hides behind anxiety_ _…'_

'… _.do you think no one will blame you because you have that inside you? No_ _…_ _. not at all, people will know_ _…_ _and they will_ _…._ _feel uncomfortable around you_ _…._ _'_

'… _.and because you_ _'_ _ve shown your anxiety_ _…_ _.and because you have refused to change the way you see everyone_ _…_ _. We all decided to make your anxiety come true_ _…'_

The man still quiet, held his axe up to the air,

' _We used to feel fine, but since you think that we are all looking at you mockingly, we decided to do so_ _…._ _'_

' _we used to feel that your pets are cute and deserved to live a happy life with us...but since you decided to think of us as the murderers. We all decided to be their murderers_ _…'_

'… _and since you always think that I never support your ambitions_ _…_ _I decided to change and show I didn't_ _…_ _and watch_ _ed you grieve_ _for your favorite pet_ _'_ _s death_ _…_ _.one that you thought,_ _would take you to the world across the seas_ _…_ _.forever gone_ _…._ _'_

The man's hand, which held the axe, began to shake.

'… _.this is the end_ _…_ _you will kill me now, right? Stop me from living before I_ _'_ _m tell you more of the truth outside your delusions_ _…'_

No respond….

'… _..tell you what? One day_ _…_ _when someone finally finds_ _out what you did to me_ _…_ _I will make sure you join me in the grave_ _…_ _the grave that you will make for me once I'm gone_ _…_ _.A_ _nd perhaps_ _—_ _along with people that you have claimed to be 'leaving' the_ _circus_ _…? I_ _'_ _ve always known where they have_ _gone to_ _…'_

Niko quickly stops her focus in the vision as she sees the man furiously bring down his axe onto the woman's neck.

"W-whoa! That was scary!" Niko commented.

"What did you see, Niko-chan?" Rin asked.

"Something happened on the stage…" Niko said.

"Huh? Yeah…I hear someone is singing on the stage, but…. what is it exactly?"

"I can't hear it, can you tell us what the lyrics are…?"

"Huh…? Well…Not sure…but she's saying something like… I remember you, I know who you are… and I want you to join me in the sand castle…."

"S-sand castle…?"

"She is probably talking about her grave, so that might be where she was buried—could we find the soul there too?" Niko said.

"Maybe… let's go…" Maki said.

"W-whoa-whoa! Wait! This is a little scary—what if we find her without her body…?" Niko said.

"uh….well…should we all just look for Eli-sen—….I mean..Eli-chan and Nozomi-chan for safety?" Hanayo replied.

"Y..yeah…I guess..it's always safest to go look for them and tell them about it instead…" Maki agreed.

"Well, I'm sure they knew about it earlier than us…" Niko smirked.

"Still! We still need to look for them for safety-nya! We don't know how her mood might be!"

* * *

The storage room,

Nozomi and Eli went there as their first choice—they both could feel something off from the place and definitely, they were proven right…. A horde of wild souls suddenly came up to attack—but most of the attacks were aimed towards Nozomi while Eli stood there to protect her.

"….what on shattering earth are they all up to…suddenly sneaking up on us like that…" Nozomi yelled as she lashes out numerous flames against the attacking soul—she has no more reason to spare them as they keep attacking her.

"…I'm sure they just want your neck…I could just stand here, do nothing and they won't do a single thing to me" Eli replied.

"Did someone send them out of jealousy?" Nozomi smiled playfully.

"Maybe… but she isn't going to get you….ever…"

"Ericchi—you're soooo….heroic…" Nozomi said with a teasing voice.

The blonde only sighs in response as she keeps shoving off the wild soul trying to attack Nozomi.

"….we should finish this and hurry up home—I can't wait for…"

"—You are going home, remember that you all need to leave me before midnight…" Eli cuts in.

"…but I really was hoping to meet her and fight her face to face…I'll tell her who owns the crown and throne here…"

"…I still think you are too amateur to match her spiritual level… you can't fight her…she is too strong…"

"How can you judge me to have a low spiritual level…? I thought you just gave me some power…"

"…it's still not enough…she is a thousand times stronger than you…"

"Wit…Ericchi… Wit… I still think my wit can beat her…Remember the story about Tanuki outwitting the nine tailed fox…?"

"That's a legend, Nozomi…not something real…"

"Well, people said ghosts aren't real either—but here they are, with us…and there's you— a nine tailed fox…"

Eli rolled her eyes,

"I'm still against it for now, you have to prove it to me first, later…"

And suddenly….

"Nozomi-senpai! I mean… Nozomi…!" A high pitched shouted from their walkie talkie.…

"Ooh…Kotori-chan, what's up?!" Nozomi asked.

"Help—we are being surrounded!" Kotori said as they could hear a lot of rattling noises coming from their side.

"Where and how did that even happen?" Nozomi asked in worry, Eli seems to be quiet as she listens to the conversation.

"We don't know… I only found a pair of soul hands and then pulled it out—and suddenly a lot of souls emerged from the ground and started attacking us! I thought they won't be able to do anything but…. Umi-chan can't move her left hand anymore after it got slashed! There are a few axe thrower souls here and they are very dangerous! The numbers also keeps increasing!"

"I'll teach you how to heal a soul—but stay near and survive for a few more minutes… and if you think you can't do it, just run into the storage room…" Eli said.

"E-Eh…? Is that Eli-sen…I mean… Eli-chan speaking? How did she even hear me?" Kotori asked.

"Well, that's Ericchi for you..but for real…hang in there…. We are being attacked too…"

"Oi-oi, what about us? We both are about to approach you two…" Said Niko's voice from the walkie talkie.

"C-can we do anything at all?" Hanayo asked as well.

"Run to the stage, somewhere big enough for us to move around…" Nozomi replied.

"Actually, Maki said she heard something in the stage, sounded like someone is singing…" Niko said.

"Hmm...maybe that's what we need to stop to make these souls stop appearing…" Nozomi said,

"So that means… we're still going to the stage?"

"Yes…let's meet up there as soon as possible!"

* * *

Outside the building,

Honoka—surprisingly has not yet gotten bored of her task, but she certainly is not paying attention as she left her walkie-talkie on the floor while having fun with the binoculars that were apparently left there for recreational purposes.

The rooftop of the circus show house is a tower often used by the visitors to have a better view of the zoo. By putting in some coins, people will be able to see with the binoculars for at least an hour. Though with a little knowledge that she learned a while back, Honoka was able to cheat the system by creating a small spiritual hook to trigger the Binocular lids to open...

She is very thankful to Umi for teaching her how to do so, it has proved to be very useful.

When she looked down through the binoculars, she ended up checking on the animals, instead of doing her actual job…

But on the bright side, she could see a couple of guard's activities. She has to admit, some of them are pretty bothersome for waking the animals from their sleep rather than doing their actual jobs. After a moment, Honoka realized that three women are now walking towards their direction— one of them feels familiar, but as she takes a closer look again—she realizes that three of them are some people that she knows.

"Oooh…isn't that, Eve, Lilith, and Detective Harada…?" she said to herself.

As she speaks, she also realized that Lilith took a notice to her presence and smiled playfully.

"W-whoa? She can see me from that far?" she exclaimed.

"…w..wait…did she smile at me or…?" Honoka looked around, finding nothing behind her, not that any soul lingered around either….or at least, not in her vision…

As soon as she tried to think of a reason why she smiled at her, she noticed the path that the three women got through—there's only that one path that led to a specific place….

And this specific place is where she is right now. And needed to warn her friends soon.

Honoka quickly picks up her walkie-talkie and turns it on…

"Hello! Hello! This is Honoka! Respond to me, over!"

"What's up Honoka-chan? Just speak, we are busy right now! Over!" Kotori said.

"There are three women heading this way! Lilith-san, Eve-san, and Detective Harada! Over!"

"Detective Harada….?" Nozomi responded through the walkie-talkie.

"yeah! I'm very sure she is detective Harada, we've met her before, right? over!" Honoka said.

"What is a detective doing in this place…?" Nozomi said.

"Could she know about the murder…?" Niko asked.

"Probably… but right now, we need to somehow finish this within a couple of seconds and get ourselves into hiding!" Nozomi said.

Honoka was about to respond, but something else happened to the three women…

Lilith playfully shoved the two women away from the building… looking at the big tree and all… she wonders what they were really up to…but either way, thanks to that, she has a good news to report…

"Well…something stalls them for now, just keep going! Over!" Honoka said.

No respond from the group.

"Hello? Are you all there…? Over!"

"We are—Honoka-chan, just be quiet for a moment, we're trying to focus!" Kotori said.

"O…Ok…over!"

* * *

Down in the stage,

A massive amount of bones rise from the ground—possessed by spirits, which may have been waiting for this time to come. A head of a woman floats above the air, a lot disfigured soul and bones surrounding her…chanting a strange creepy march as the woman's head sings the song that Maki has been hearing…

What do these souls really want from them?

They have no idea, nor do they have enough time to think of a reason as they keep fighting off the invading wild souls. Umi has to use her sword, Kotori has to try her best to use the ability she just learned, Hanayo and Rin hid somewhere along with Maki and Niko as none of them were able to fight—while Eli has to protect them along with her dearest Nozomi.

"Uuh….. if only we could do anything at all!" Hanayo said.

"Just stay here, I really think this is the best choice since we won't get in the way!" Maki said.

Niko remained silent, focusing her sight on the soul marches...

"It would be better if our abilities could do anything at all-nya…" Rin said.

"Heh—like what? Putting a soul into somewhere in your case?"

Rin remained silent to Maki's statement—thinking that it's probably a good idea somehow.

"I—I mean! Don't do that! Just stay here! Don't get in their way!"

"I wonder if there's anything that can keep them inside-nya…." Rin said.

"Like a Good Luck Charm? I heard it's sealed with a strong power…" Hanayo said.

"H-hey! Listen to me! Don't do anything ridiculous! We will get in their way!" Maki said.

Hanayo and Rin doesn't like the idea of sitting around when they really wanted to help…

"I have a good luck charm, can we really use it?" Hanayo replied as she hands a good luck charm to Rin.

"Let's give it a try-nya!" Rin said as she stands from hiding,

"Oi! Rin!" Maki tried to pull her back down, but instead of Rin, she pulled down her trouser, revealing a second trouser under.

"W-Whoa! Maki-chan! You're a pervert-nya!" Rin said.

"I-I didn't mean to do that, damn it! Plus, why do you have a second trouser on?"

"It's just in case I get too scared-nya…"

"Huh…wait…did you usually—….?"

"Aaah! Ok I'm going-nya!" Rin shouts before she jumps out and—

"Nyaaaaaaa!" Rin charges her focal point.

"R-Rin-chan!" Nozomi panics, while she was close to getting attacked by the very soul next to her—luckily Eli noticed it fast and she quickly grabs Nozomi into her embrace.

"Focus! Nozomi…don't let yourself get distracted by the the smallest things…" Eli said as she begins to lead a battle dance with Nozomi.

"Well—I have you, I have no reason to worry about myself…" Nozomi replies, falling into rhythm with the blonde.

"Silly… you still need to worry about yourself, now what do you want to do again?"

"Rin-chan…she is out of her hiding!" Nozomi said.

"Why would you worry about her, look what she has in her hand…" Eli replied again,

Nozomi takes a good look at it—there's a good luck charm, created with double barriers around them.

"That's a pretty strong good luck charm…I wonder what she is planning to do with it…?" Nozomi asked.

"I hope you didn't forget the ability she has…" Eli said.

Nozomi tried to think of a connection between the good luck charm and Rin's ability…

A few seconds passed as they keep twirling around the place while defending themselves against the massive soul attacks.

"Could she be….?!" Nozomi finally grasps the idea right before a massive vortex spawned over Rin's current spot. Using the vortex, Rin started to absorbing all the existing souls, including the chanter and the woman's head. Her hands, body, and Legs are absorbed as well, along with a few animal souls soon joining in.

Everyone in the place was very surprised—and glad to have someone doing that….

Who would've expected her to be able to solve this in seconds? But then again… how can they communicate with the woman's soul….?

"That was…amazing…Rin-chan!" Kotori appreciated.

Umi smiled as she finally takes a break from all the fighting.

"Hehe! Thank you-nya!' Rin replied cheerfully.

"That was a good idea, I've never thought that as a possibility…" Nozomi said.

"Hmmph… well—at least my idea didn't go to waste…" Maki said.

"I know you were against it before…" Niko said.

"Huh? Why would I be against my own idea…?" Maki replied with a blush on her cheek.

"Now-now, Rin-chan, can you somehow summon out the woman's body parts? We need to talk to her and decide what we should do to her soul…" Nozomi said.

"Uh…for that part….I don't know-nya… I haven't really seen the woman's face…and…I don't even know how the body looks either…"

"Nn….I guess that's a problem.… We can't just release everything either…." Umi said.

"Uhm…yeah…and we don't have that much time either…."

"Hand me that…." Eli said, beckoning to Rin to hand over the charm. The cat-like girl agreed immediately. The blonde whispered a prayer and quickly summons the woman head, the arms, the hands, the body, and the legs… Each part of the body has a set of clothes—with cuts on each end showing that it was cut by the time of death…

The body is soon making reaction with each parts, eventually sticking together…

Her eyes opened and she began to float while being surrounded by them….

She looks very worried and afraid—which was luckily noticed by Nozomi…

"Relax, we're not going to harm you if you are willing to cooperate with us…"

The spirit turns herself to the speaker—she was still afraid for a second, but as she looks into her face…

"Cooperate with you—Toujou Nozomi…? You must be dreaming…" the spirit says with a frown on her face.

"Y…you know my name already?"

"Everyone knows you in the spirit world….and we don't like you….Toujou Nozomi…."

"….Alright, I guess I should've remembered that I'm infamous…" Nozomi replied.

"You're arrogant… the most arrogant human to ever exist…" the spirit continued.

Nozomi remained silent, everyone seems to be awkwardly listening to it as well—wondering what they should say to that…

"….I believe, when your time as a mortal ended, you'll be the enemy of everyone else in the spirit world…your name might be engraved in your tombstone and be remembered as a champion, but you will never be forgiven for what you have done to our kind and be gone as you step into the immortal world…"

"….and why is that? Because I'm being the police by stopping your kind from doing anything bad to this 'mortal' world…?" Nozomi replied—somewhat arrogantly.

Hanayo, Kotori, and Rin seem to be a little worried from the way she talks to her.

"Who are you to tell us what to do—and who are you to act like you can control us…you are not a hero—and you don't even know what we felt throughout our life…you tried to be the justice, but you are no one to say as you have never been able to bring peace to yourself…"

Nozomi still remained silent, Eli too somehow, has something that she can agree with…

"….and what are you trying to say? Because someone is not perfect, they can't remind others about anything?" Umi said with anger in her voice.

The spirit turns to her,

"One who has killed a guardian, saying this to me….? How pathetic… you are saying that so that you can get away with your mistake…" the spirit says. Umi remained silent, biting her lips as she tries to come up with a reply… Kotori's worried face suddenly changed into a frown,

"So what? Umi-chan did a mistake, but that doesn't make it wrong for her to exist— do you spirit enjoy blaming people for what they have done in the past? No wonder you can't move on…" she said bravely.

"….and you, the child of someone who triggered a massive spirit massacre—it's all because of your mother that many spirit has lost their place and has been banished before their dreams could come true…" the spirit says. Kotori is about to say something again—but, she mentioned about her mother… did she know her mother….? Will it be bad for her mother if she tries to go against her…

"…why are you speaking like you spirits are to be treated like a god? Aren't you just the same as all of us? I always thought it as a respect to elders that we need to remember…!" Hanayo said.

"I refuse to listen from someone who has abandoned someone's feelings till his death…he was dreaming to have you—yet you remained silent in your place…! You're cruel and disrespectful to your kind, but you expect us all to be well after we become different…" the spirit says again. Once more, the girl becomes speechless.

"That's not true! Kayo-chin has never been cruel to anyone— you are the one who is being cruel because you have never wished to understand anything from her! You judged us to be cruel—you are twisting every fact around to your own favor!" Rin said.

"….liar! Humans are all the same, holding their prides up and pretending to be not—especially you! You have never accepted anyone's appreciation because you want them to keep appreciating you, right?" the spirit pointed to Rin. Rin would deny that so hard, but what can she say? If she says that, will that be a way for her to make others tell her the other way around?

"Hey—what is this human you are talking about? You're talking nonsense here… You described everyone as evil beings, but you never know what may be good about them… maybe if you tell me that you have never seen anyone good, I wouldn't trust you because you have never let your eyes see anyone good…"

"You are blind—yet you talk about what my eyes see… how pathetic are you?"

"She isn't blind—she definitely see us, but hey—who needs eyes if ears can hear a sad being like you ranting? Either way, I'd ignore how your face looks like…because you are clearly too narrow minded for me…" Niko responded before Maki was able to reply.

"Is that what you will tell to your father as well? He narrowed your mind so that you never see the truth!"

"He is doing it for good purpose—and I've realized that…your argument is invalid!" Niko said.

The spirit is about to say something again, but—

A very rough spirit blast knocked her away, far enough from them.

"Enough!" Eli said.

Everyone remained silent as they watch her standing with a challenging pose.

"I know who you are—you don't need to take one's form anymore…." She said.

Nozomi questioned the sentence—how could she know she is someone else than the soul they were looking for…?

"Ericchi…. who is this soul?" Nozomi asked.

Eli glanced to her,

"I'll tell you later…. But for now, can you take everyone out? It's almost midnight already…." She continued.

"Why….? We aren't done with her…."

"No… you are all done with her—she is no longer here…this is just a fraud…"

"Fraud….?" Nozomi flustered.

"Explain later, Nozomi… just…run now….with everyone… this is going to get really ugly…"

Nozomi and the rest of the group remained in their place, wondering what is going to get ugly…

As soon as they're thinking about it again, the spirit eventually shows her true form—Even Maki started to be able to see her, growing into a dark fashioned creature with long arms, pale skin and monstrous height. Her face was beautiful, though it eventually turns into a creepy face with an abnormal wide smile, sharp teeth and pitch black slanting eyes…

More pair of arms grew from her back—sharp claws on every fingers and thick uncomfortable atmosphere enveloped the area…

"So you have decided to betray me this soon—Ayase Eli! Poor choice! I thought you were smarter than that!"

* * *

 **Hopefully the next chapter is up soon~**

 **Sorry for the long wait!**


	20. Ch20: The Savior in Action

**Thanks to Crimson for edits.**

 **Very sorry for the delay.**

 **She said she will try to edit the next chapters.**

 **Thanks for reviews/comment/faves and follows.**

* * *

The zoo,

Honoka keeps her eyes on the three women—holding her walkie-talkie in hand, planning to warn them as soon as they decided to head towards the building. It seems that something is going on behind the trees, but she has no idea what that might be. She could see Eve putting her palm on her face as she looks another way. Her face bright red, holding… her sister's jacket…and clothes?

What is she doing without her clothes? What about the detective…?

The ginger head has no idea of what exactly is happening down there, but she is glad that they are taking their time.

* * *

The stage,

With a creature standing in front of them, the group began to feel discouraged. An unknown fear took over… causing everyone's legs to tremble without their knowledge. Supposedly, they could face this kind of situation as they are trained enough and used to facing death, souls or a huge monster…

Eli stood right in front of them, with Nozomi slightly behind her.

"What are you all waiting for…? Run!" Eli said clearly.

Starting from Maki, everyone began to run away from the very place except for Nozomi who was still trying her best to overcome her fear. She feels like she know this kind of fear… but it's still unclear about what is it exactly.

For some reason, the creature let the group leave the two… or perhaps that's one of her intentions by creating a frightening atmosphere…

"Nozomi! Why are you still here…?! I said, run!"

"No! I'm not going anywhere before you do…!" Nozomi replied.

"Fool! You are no match for her, not yet!"

"I don't care…. I want to be with you!"

"Then run! We will meet again later!"

"When? Are you trying to tell me to meet you in the afterlife? No! I refuse! I want to stay here by your side!"

And the creature responds to the drama with a chuckle.

"Interesting…." She said.

"….A fight for who loves who better… but sadly, such a pathetic act will not help you win against me…. I am the ruler…. And you are all just mere souls. Not even you are better than ordinary souls for me…." the creature continued.

"You are only going to fight against me, not her…" Eli said clearly.

"I'll fight with you…. I don't want to leave you alone…" Nozomi said.

"Shut up, Nozomi! I told you, you are no match for her…"

"I'm very-very-very sure I can get rid of that thing if you let me work with you… didn't we promise that?"

"You are stubborn!" Eli said.

"You are more obstinate!" Nozomi replied.

"Enough! You two—trying to act like you care about each other makes me sick… there will never be true love in this world, not even true friends exist. Everyone is selfish… everyone wants their own life to be better than the others….Everyone pretends to be kind so that they are appreciated. Everyone wants to be a hero so that they are hailed….. and everyone wants to be needed so that they are paid with respect… There is no such thing as kindness in this world—it's all fake, everyone deserves to suffer!"

"Well—certainly, if everyone suffers, there will be one person who will be happy and that would be you. So that's why, I'd rather make you suffer while the rest of the population remains happy!" Nozomi replied.

The creature frowns and the first swing of her claws flew by—Eli quickly sets up a spiritual barrier to protect her.

"Nozomi! Are you here just to provoke her? Seriously?"

"It's not provoking, I'm just telling her the truth!"

"Hah! Ridiculous! Your truth is based only on your blind guess! You can't convince me otherwise, unless…." The creature pauses.

"Unless…?" Nozomi smiles as she clenches her fist,

"….we speak in another language…." She continued.

"And what language is that…? A spiritual one?" Nozomi replied playfully again.

"The Battle Language… fight me and if you win—I'll listen to you…and if you lose…you'll have to listen to me…."

"I've ever got that sort of thing—Bring it on!" Nozomi replied.

"Nozomi! You are ridi—….!" Before Eli was able to finish complaining, a very strong force grabs her and throws her away like she has no weight at all. Nozomi panicked for a moment, she was about to call after her but a very swift hand attempted to thrust her with claws. Nozomi quickly dodges, thanks to her physical training from Eli before, she is somewhat agile enough…

She could see a pair of spectral hands attempting to grab her once more, making her dodge again.

As she finally got a chance to see what exactly happened to her dear blonde, she noticed, on the ground, Eli lay unconscious. A look of relief flashed by, knowing Eli is only unconscious, with her huge fox spirit still attached in her body, things could have been worse if someone else was thrown that hard and far from the very place. But another thing caught her eye… the fox is sealed into sleep. There's a soft transparent chain surrounding her, the worst part about this is that someone who could seal a nine-tailed fox like Eli that fast must be truly strong. Eli didn't exaggerate the woman's powers…

But what should she do now? There was history of this kind of situation in the past…something that has changed her life completely…or perhaps…something that made her regret of what she did….

The first move—Nozomi quickly charges her spiritual power, attempting to fire a shot to the creature, though in a speed of a light, the creature released a strike that she has never witnessed before. It knocks her away at ease, not even breaking a sweat.

Nozomi tries to endure the pain she got from the fall. It's not like it's going to kill her—or so she thinks.

Once again, she attempts to use a small fire to attack, yet when it hits—it feels like it did no damage to her.

Now she realizes…

She really can't do this alone…she can't challenge her….but whats done is done… her wit might save her, but won't serve a victory as an option. She needs to escape…but…doesn't that mean she will have to leave her girlfriend here…? What will happen to her if she does…?

Will she have a chance to fix this mistake later…?

Probably not…

Her girlfriend just proved her betrayal against this creature…. They are not that good in their relationship, most likely, with this strength, her girlfriend will be doomed...

She really has to do something….

"What's wrong…Nozomi Toujou….? Had enough? Or you want to fight me till death part you with your body…?"

Nozomi didn't respond…she took her time to think of a way to fight this impossible battle…

"What a pity…I thought you were stronger than that…. I have heard you trying to challenge the whole spirit world…and become infamous…but with that kind of power...you'll most likely be beaten up badly by a mere demon…"

"Well…I didn't even intend to be that extreme… who told them that anyway? You?" Nozomi replied—still with prideful smile.

The creature grabs her with her spectral grasp, and lifts her up to the air….

"It was you who did that—by showing off your power against minor demons. You were clearly trying to be the big bully for us…" the creature said.

"…is that really how it is? Huh? Or maybe you were just jealous because I was getting closer with Ericchi and you're just making things sound extreme…?"

The grip strengthened. Even if her physical body looks fine, Nozomi's spirit feels like it's being squeezed so hard and it's about to be destroyed…

"Kill me if you like…. Ericchi and I love each other and she'll be the first to get angry, once she finds out…"

"She is nothing but a betrayer! What do I care about her?!" she yells again, as an unexpected spark of flame ignites Nozomi's spiritual body.

It's hot…

Really hot and painful…

"I'll burn you like the way you have burned our kind!" she shouts again loudly as the flame gets bigger.

Nozomi feel like no one can save her anymore…not at this point…

Has her God left her…?

Or perhaps…

This is just how God is reminding her where arrogance can lead…

She should've not done what she did…

She should've listened to Eli…

If only she was more prepared to do this…

If only—….

"Nozomi-chan!" A familiar voice is heard from the distance. A gust of freezing air comes by, extinguishing all the fire that was burning her. Then a swift air cut the spectral hand— making her fall and just right before she reached the ground, a huge white hand caught her…

Recognizing the abilities…

She knew the spirits…

The Snow Girl, Hanako, and Reiko.

And they have come to save her.

"Nozomi-nee-san! I'm glad you are still alive!" Hanako said as she pulls the big white hands away to a distance.

"Akamanto! Now!" Reiko said.

Then a huge cape surrounds the area, within a few seconds they all escaped from the very building.

* * *

Outside the building,

The group who has left, stopped somewhere further from the circus. Honoka was also somewhere down the roof along with two women… Eve and Lilith…

"Ooo…! Everyone! You are all here… did something happen inside…?" Honoka asked.

The group remained silent as they tried to catch their breaths….

"You all look horrible…and…where are Nozomi and Eli…?" Eve asked.

Lilith remained silent, she seems to be slightly worried.

A few minutes passed, the group was finally able to talk. Starting from Umi who has already composed herself well enough…

"Sorry…we ran away…for some reason, we were scared and we couldn't think of anything but to run…" she said.

"Running away? That's unlikely of you… is there really a strong creature that only can be dealt by those two…?" Eve asked.

"…yes… she was really huge….and…gave out a fearful aura…" Kotori said.

"She also seems to be furious… and…I don't know what else…it feels like we were going to die just from looking at her…" Hanayo said.

"Now-That's extreme! I want to meet this creature…" Lilith said.

Eve sighed heavily…

"Lilith Faith, my dear sister….can you please…. Just…. not be an extreme sport lover for now? I mean….now…sister….i think this is serious…someone might actually be dead…" Eve said.

"What with that seriousness, my dear-dear sister…Eve Faith? Aren't we supposed to be on a trip? We need to have fun…"

"Well, can you have fun when your friend is in trouble…?"

"Saving them from the trouble is a lot more fun…"

"You're impossible!"

"Eh—now that we speak of it, I saw you two with the detective… where is she…?" Honoka asked.

"She went home, said she is exhausted…what an old lady…Ohohohoho!" Lilith said playfully.

"Oh...I thought she got into trouble…."

"She will return here tomorrow to do some more investigation… she isn't done with this case yet." Eve added.

"Ok!" Honoka replied.

"Really…being a detective must be tough…I believe she will have to deal with the real thing soon…" Umi said.

"Yeah…and that the murder is the circus leader…" Niko said.

"Yep, we know…. she already has the same thoughts as me…" Lilith replied.

"Sometimes I think, being a detective could be fun if there's someone like you, Lilith-san…" Kotori appreciated.

"Of course! Ohohohoho!" Lilith laughed proudly.

Eve rolls her eyes and gives out another sigh…

"Investigating itself is quite fun…I say…thanks to Nozomi and Eli for bringing me up to this…" Maki said.

"mmm…I have to say the same thing too… I feel like I have a reason to move forward and make my life better, so that I don't go astray and be like the spirits we encounter…" Kotori said.

"Same with me-nya! There's so much I learn from looking at the soul's past!" Rin said.

"Yes…me too…even though they are just mere souls, I think the adventure itself makes me grow…" Hanayo added.

"Yeah…same with me! I feel like life is so much more exciting!" Honoka said.

"Well… I do feel the same way….but I can't say I like how things always go… There's always Eli, who makes us feels uncomfortable with all of her nonsense…" Niko said.

"I understand how Eli feels, or at least that's what I learned in theory…so…I thought…perhaps… we should just keep trying anyway…? I mean…it's not her fault, being who she is…" Umi said.

"Heh…What are you saying? Being in that state is definitely her fault, no one told her to sulk in that state…" Maki said.

"Oi… can you get over that on your own? I know you have the same state of mind as her, even until now…" Niko said.

"Well, what about you? You are on the same boat…" Maki replied.

"I told you I got over it, because I'm awesome…"

"Then let me tell you that I did too because I'm a lot more awesome than you… Look…Hanayo and Rin are my friends because of my own will, you are all my friends too because I think that so… stop trying to make me feel like I'm trying to have myself be pitied!"

"Now-now, Elichika surely never wants to be pitied… nor be approached too close by random people… she is just cautious—not an idiot who sulks in her anxiety…" Lilith said.

"Eh…Lilith-san knows about Eli?" Kotori asked.

"Of course I do! I'm her number one stalker!" Lilith said proudly…

Everyone remained silent, trying to think of the right response to that statement…

"Hmm…I'm not sure if thats something anyone can be proud of from being a stalker…but now that you mention it… what do you think of her and what do you know about her…?" Niko asked,

"Well, she is someone high in the other world—someone who will always be hailed and loved because of who she is… whatever she did, she will always be right and whatever she says will always be an order to fulfill…her greatest weakness is friendship though, because of her pride, she always tends to make people feel anxious and afraid… a rough one I say… that's why she never had friends as a child… but then, there's a woman who fell madly in love with her… she stalked her every single second and pretended to—…!"

A rough kick lands on Lilith's face.

The group went flustered of what just happened. Eve kicked her so hard that she flew a couple of miles…

"Please ignore the slattern talking… let me tell you what I know about her instead…" Eve said…

"O…oh…ok…" the group nodded.

"Let me make this simple… Eli isn't a bad girl… nor is she a good girl either, she always has this mischievous side to her, but you will only see that when you are close with her. She never understands herself because she tends to overthink a lot. She is a pride that fell and now trying to be a fool, looking for a face to wear. She could've become a great villain, but thanks to you all she began to re-think her choices…" Eve said.

"We all…? What did we do…?" Hanayo asked.

"Huh? Isn't it clear? By trying to be her friend is a good thinking… she started to think that the world isn't that bad… if it was only Nozomi next to her, the two could go astray and be a pair of jerks who are trying to rule the world together… they are merciless!" Eve replied.

"Oh…we…did something that great?" Umi asked.

"Yes, of course! Sonoda Umi… I thought you don't need any horns to notice that…" Eve replied.

"H-Horns? I…I don't get it…" Umi replied.

"Let me say this too, Nozomi and Eli are actually a mirror to each other, they are different but the same. It's like The Fool and The Jester… if they never meet any other cards, they will just be wild cards and nothing more…that's why, meeting peoples will complete their pieces and soon become a complete pair with positive energy than a pair of zero, who is either trying to jump off the cliff or trying to commit suicide by randomly stumbling into a ridiculous prank…" Eve replied again.

"In other words, they need you all to make their life…" Lilith added as she walks back to Eve—there is no bruise on her face so they suppose Lilith is fine.

"….I….." Umi tried to say something, the rest of the group seems to be troubled as well…

"Wh…why did you all run away? We need to get back there and fight with them!" Honoka said.

"Y…Yes! Why are we running away?! Let's fight again!" Umi said.

The rest of the group nods and quickly runs back to the circus through the door which was never locked for some reason...

Eve and Lilith remained quiet for a moment as they stare at them running in with full of spirit, then by the time they were sure that they got in…

"Should we check inside…?" Eve asked.

"Of course, my dear… let's check what's inside the underwear…"

* * *

The group keeps running until they reached to the stage,

The huge fear aura still remained in the place, but there's no sign of Nozomi inside. The creature is now currently in silence as she stares into the unconscious body in the corner of the room—still complete with the sleeping soul.

"Eli!" Umi quickly ran in as she brought out her spiritual weapon—but as soon as she tried to approach closer, a huge barrier deflects her.

"U-Umi-chan!" Kotori quickly catches her before she completely falls on the floor.

"W-Whoa…what the hell…?" Honoka exclaimed as she could see the huge creature finally avert her attention to the group...

"What are you all doing here, critters? Trying to save this betrayer as well?" the creature asked.

"Well, you are not going to harm her or you'll have to face me…" Maki replied.

"Big words from a princess, you can't even fight… and you could only see me because I let you…" the creature said.

"W-Where's Nozomi-chan?" Hanayo asked.

"Her? Escaped with her friends… Hmmph…but I'm sure she will return to save this traitor…that's why I'm keeping her here…" the creature replied again as she tended to a crow that came from nowhere.

"Oi, you're not that bad for a monster… you actually talk to us…" Niko said...

"What on shattering earth you are saying you little faggot. I could crush you if I wish!"

"Well, no one is challenging you right now…not me at least…" Niko replied.

"But…aren't we all here to fight her…?" Honoka asked.

"Honoka…be quiet…. If we can communicate, why not?" Umi said.

"I have no intention to communicate with you all, I'm done talking. Get out of my sight before I changed my mind!" the creature said.

"Tch how troublesome.… Why are you doing this to begin with…?" Maki asked.

The creature remained silent.

"Uh…Maki-chan…she…she said she is done talking…" Hanayo said.

"Hey, answer me, it's not like I'm trying to communicate with you, I'm just asking a question…" Maki replied.

"W-what's the difference…?" Umi whispered to herself.

"They are different in a way…alright…" Kotori replied to her with a whisper.

"…What are humans living for…? Why does everyone want to be heard and why does everyone want to have an answer? Everyone is selfish…Everyone is living for themselves…. There is no such think is true love, and nor will anything match up to it…. No one loves anyone more than they love themselves… it's all fake… it's all just an illusion of life…when they die, they will lose everything…nothing will last other than their name's written in history…." The creature said.

Maki isn't sure if that's the answer to her question.

"Akane…. That's the name of the woman whose death was caused by the hands of her own beloved husband. She could've just lied about what she did instead of lying about her intentions… the monkey was contracted with rabies, yet he didn't want him killed for good. More than five people were killed for trying to take care of it according to his command. He cares nothing of it…and even, he said, he will take care of the monkey by himself if no one is 'willing' to do it…. that's why his wife decided to take action before he fell victim…"

The group remained silent… amazed by the details of story that they have never heard.

"…in return, her husband killed her and treat her worse than how she killed that monkey…her price is not even bigger than a monkey who has killed five people….he wore a mask and used an uncommon weapon, he doesn't want to be known for betraying someone he was committed with… even though he said that she is his true love…he regrets nothing… he regrets nothing at all because she died and set him free from the bond. He is now free to do whatever he wants and treat people worse than animals…but his wife knows and haunted this place for a while in order to get her message to him—though it will come to an end as you found her piece…knowing that he will be brought to justice soon…" the creature said as she stare into Kotori and Umi.

"But I can't let it end like that… I want to teach someone that being in love with someone else is a mistake… I want to teach someone that she isn't worthy of any friendship…someone like her will turn same as that man. Someone so twisted, will never find peace in their own mind… sooner or later, she will destroy the world… she will say that everyone deserves to suffer…everyone deserves to disappear…and no one can stop her…."

"You are planting hate. Did you know that good resides in this world as well…?" Umi said.

"What's so good about that? Everyone acts good, so that they are praised…. Everyone is kind so that they are loved…there will always be that selfish side to them… the side that always wears a good mask…that side that always wants to be paid attention to…."

"…and what's so wrong about that? At least they are sharing some happiness, we all can't be living in sorrow like you…it just makes things heavier…" Niko said.

"What's the problem with living in a white lie? Truth is good but if it becomes a burden, why carry it barehanded?" Kotori said.

"Do you think it's easy for us to live like that? No…! It's a struggle too and you should appreciate that!" Umi said.

"Enough! Enough! Enough!" The creature started to rage…

"I've warned you all that I will change my mind… now that you are all pissing me off!" the creature prepared to fight.

Umi quickly stood up and readied her weapon again, Honoka also tried to summon her spiritual weapon as well but only a frying pan came up to her hand. Kotori worked up her healing ability that was taught a moment ago.

The three nearly stood on the front line…but…

"Ok…stay back everyone… let Mommy Lilith do this…" Lilith said as she walks to the front.

"E-Eh…Lilith-san…?" the group flustered.

"Here...come back here everyone… it's time for you all to retreat and watch the show…" Eve said.

"Uh….r-really?" Hanayo tried to confirm…

"Lilith-san…what are you…" Umi asked.

"Me…? Well…" she holds her shirt.

"….I'm…." she pulls up her shirt,

"—a fabulous creature!" she throws her shirt away, leaving her with only a bra, trouser and boots…"

"W…why the heck did she do that…?!" Niko said.

"Don't ask for the name of her ability…but that's her…a professional stripper…" Eve said.

"What's the name of that move-nya?" Rin asked.

"Well…it's called a—!" and before Lilith was able to finish, the creature smack her away into the air—she is now gone from her place…

Eve placed her palm on her face…

"W…wow…." Everyone said with a slight jaw drop….

"I want to go home…" Eve said.

"I'm fine!" Lilith said from somewhere.

"What are you even doing here and who are you?" the creature turns her sight to Lilith—somewhere around the place…the group was hardly able to see in the darkness.

"I'm here to take that body and soul back to the owner…" Lilith said.

"I am the owner! Stay away!" the creature angrily said.

"No-no-no…you don't quite look like the owner… I remember the owner is kind of bouncy and furry?…not sure about the fur though…does she have fur here?"

"F-Fur…?" the group flustered…

"M…Maybe she means the inside of her underwear… uh…. she is vulgar like that….I'm sorry…" Eve said.

"Actually…I believe she is the owner of that bouncy girl…so I'm taking her master back to her…" Lilith said happily.

The creature completely ignored that sentence and bashed Lilith once again.

"L-Lilith-san!" the group yelled out in worry.

"She is fine… trust me… she can't be deader than she is supposed to be…" Eve said.

"You're pretty annoying aren't you? Why can't you just get along with me and let me take her?" Lilith said—somewhere in the building.

"Stay—away—from—my belonging!" the creature smacks her a lot of times.

"Aaaahh…why are you so rough! I'm not that much of masochist myself… I prefer whips rather than spanks!" Lilith said again.

"…what the heck is she talking about…?" Maki said.

"You don't want to know…." Eve replied.

The creature blasts spiritual fire at Lilith.

"W-whoa…?! W-Will she survive that one?" Honoka asked…

"Huh…? That's a spiritual fire… no problem…" Eve replied.

"S-seriously…what is she….?" Umi smirked.

"Ok! That's enough you naughty-naughty woman! I'm angry!" Lilith said.

The creature ignores her and begins to blast more fire and claws at her. Not long after, another creature flies through the air—a creature with a pair of big horns and wings….

"T-that's….." Umi pauses.

"L-Lilith-san?!" Kotori said.

In a very swift motion, Lilith dives in and claws the creature…causing a very deep wound on its soul. Without a second to spare, Lilith flies up again and makes her second gash with her claws, continuing with following movements, which were impossible to keep up with. But the clashing noises, and flashes of light going around the creature, indicated Lilith's movements. Lastly, Lilith hovers away from the creature and charges a freezing power—then blows it away to the creature.

Even after the creature tried to shield herself, the blast passes through her and damages her badly.

Lilith smiled with her smug face and placed both of her hands on her own hips…

"So…? I'm taking the body, right? You go away and wait until Nozomi is back for you?"

"You're just impossible…what creature are you?"

"A creature that is much closer to God than you, of course... He doesn't really like us, but you know… we have the choice to approach Him even if we are born far away from Him…" Lilith replied.

The creature remained silent before she disappears into thin air—they believe it isn't over yet… but at least… they could save someone's body…

* * *

The temple,

Nozomi lay down on the temple's lounge—again…this time, she feels like her reason to wake up is gone completely…She doesn't even want to question herself—especially about how her girlfriend will be now…

"Nozomi-chan…." Yuki, the snow girl called her sympathetically.

Nozomi didn't respond, her eyes blank and her lips shut.

"Get up and drink the tea…will you? You need to recover yourself…" Yuki continued again.

Once again, no response from the purplenette…

"Nozomi…. don't be stubborn now… we are all worried about her… it's not only you…" Reiko said—her body, somehow sliced into half again. It's from the fight with the creature before…

Nozomi is still not responsive…

"Hmm….looks like this really hit her hard…" Reiko said.

"I believe that so… but it's unlikely of her… I mean… I thought Nozomi-nee-san was carefree?" Hanako said.

"That be a case, but… maybe…she is still thinking of how to defeat that creature…" Yuki replied.

"…it's impossible to be done any sooner, right? I'm too late to practice for this…" Nozomi finally said something.

The souls remained silent, they know well that Nozomi has been slacking and she totally got what she deserves in this case….

Getting beat up and becoming a complete idiot in front of that creature….

What else could crush her pride more than that…?

Losing someone she loves perhaps…?

"With that attitude, you are not going to get any stronger and will officially fail this mission…" a familiar voice speaks up. Nozomi didn't even try to look for this voice, but the souls quickly bend over and places their face to the floor.

"Oh…. Kagemi-san… you look like you know about something…huh?" Nozomi replied.

"I'm still surprised that even after three years, haven't realized who I truly am… this shows lacking you are in your spiritual studies…"

Nozomi finally gets up from her resting bed and looks at Grandma Kagemi, for the first time realizing a huge aura surrounding her…and her soul somewhat looks different from her body…but Nozomi is still not quite clear about who she truly is…

"Many years ago, you made a contract with my husband… something about that you working for him to do the population control…"

"Dai Mao…? Then you are…." Nozomi pauses…

"Yes…I am the Demon Empress…I'm in charge here to watch over my worker's tasks… you are one of them…and that fox is also one of them… but something is out of control…so I guess someone like you has to sort it out…" Kagemi said.

"Unfortunately…I had no other vessel to wear other than of an old woman…if only there was someone kind enough to let me use their young vessel…hmmm…maybe that detective…?" she continued again.

Nozomi remained silent, she look down to her own hands…

"No…I don't want you to do that favor for me… your job is not done yet….and being suicidal is really not you…get a grip of yourself…" Kagemi continued again.

Nozomi remained silent.

"Sheesh…humans…so fragile… but now, Nozomi Toujou… your….uhm…girlfriend….should be safe somewhere…. my informer says that they saw the creature enter the afterlife realm with a fox soul in her hand…so that means, she must be still keeping her… I don't know about where her body might be… but I also heard that a group of people are taking the body somewhere safe. So now the problem is… you have to find this soul and bring her back before the 8 hour mark. You have been sleeping here for about 3 hours, which only leaves you with 5 hours to get your job done…"

Nozomi chuckles, her eyes pathetically looking into her own reflection on the tea inside her cup...

"5 hours….? Learning to be stronger and beat her within 5 hours….? Impossible… Who am I to be able to do that? I'm not a super human… I'm just an idiot who neglects her lover…"

"She will feel more neglected if you don't go and attempt a second time…we will save you again if you fail…" Kagemi said.

"Then…may I ask you… what's so good about me…? Why are you being so kind and trying so hard to convince me to try again? Don't you all have better things to do than to take care of a loser like myself…?" Nozomi asked plainly.

"Well, why don't you ask why you, yourself are kind to others? Do you truly think that everyone wants something in return…? Who taught you that?"

"….it's not that I think that way, you know…I just feel like this is just hopeless… maybe you better spend your time for someone else better than me… I'll move on later… don't worry…"

"So…you're telling me… to leave you alone in that kind of attitude…?"

"Maybe…."

"Fine, then let me outwit you in this… that fox, Ayase Eli… is one of my precious worker…I want you to save her… starting from right now!"

Nozomi remains silent—she is totally defeated in this argument…or maybe not…

"Alright… but I'm afraid I'm not capable of doing that…" she tried to reply again.

"Follow my instruction, believe me you will get her just fine…"

"Ok…so what's the first instruction…?"

"…drink that tea…." Kagemi said. Nozomi turns her eyes to the tea again and drinks it immediately.

"…that will help you recover your damaged soul. You have enough skills to enter the afterlife realm… but not sure about the realm the creature made…"

"The realm the creature made…?" Nozomi asked.

"Didn't you realize… that creature is what someone calls as the anxiety monster…?"

"No…not at all…" Nozomi replied.

"Well…she is definitely someone's anxiety that grows stronger than the basic soul, she isn't the first… in fact… there are plenty that goes around this world… it's hard to beat that one if not by the basic soul themselves. Anyhow…once you get there… all you have to do is to find her realm, then you must crush her with your wit. Try to prevent a direct fight because you are in the disadvantage for that…"

"How can I fight her without a direct fight…?"

"…that will be your mission to figure out… I cannot pamper you for everything. You truly love her, right? So go…risk your life…act like no one can tell you to stop trying…"

Nozomi remained silent to think again…

* * *

The Nishikino Hospital,

"How did you know that we have something to make the body live longer without a soul…?" Maki asked.

"We do, Maki-chan… you should get to know your hospital better…" Lilith said, fully clothed and already back into her human form. The group follows them as they push around a soulless Eli on a wheeled bed.

"I've never heard any doctor say that… I mean, if someone is dead temporary, the chance of them returning to life is only within 8 hours after…" Maki replied.

"Your doctors are all low quality then…?" Lilith replied.

"D…Don't say that…! My parents are the one who hired them!" Maki said.

"I'll go to the storage to get what we need…" Eve said.

"H-Huh? Hey… storage is staff only…!" Maki said.

"Sssh…just get along, Maki-chan…you need to help me too in the room later…" Lilith said as she drags the bed to a room, the group decided to wait outside as they watch Maki and Lilith go into the room along with Eli's body.

"H-Huh? What? But I don't—…."

"Don't tell me…? You don't know how to help around the clinic…?" Lilith cuts in as she closes the door behind her.

"I never—…."

"You never help your parents?! That's not the Maki-chan that I remember… I mean, Maki-chan should've been a really good doctor because she always helps around since she is in high school…" Lilith said as she takes the paper placed next to the room, taking notes on everything that needed to be written like she has already known how to do it.

"I just entered High school not long ago! B-Beside… I don't remember knowing you before!"

"Oo…then this should be the start? Well then… Maki-chan… let me teach you a few things that you can do as starter…!"

* * *

The World of After Life;

It isn't night time nor is it day time, and the sky seems to change in short periods of time. At times it becomes red, blue and at times the sky doesn't shine at all.

Nozomi didn't take her time to enjoy or get bewilder at the view. She keeps searching for the realm that was said to be created within this world. A lot of souls passes through her like they could care nothing about her—but at times some attacked her immediately without any hesitation.

A lot of realms were created around her, wanting to know what was inside these realms sparked a growing curiosity inside her, but she doesn't have any time to waste. A pocket watch was given to her by Kagemi—one that appeared to be the Demon Empress…

Of course she wouldn't expect someone to be that kind to her… she can say that she is lucky…but not really. She has to do her best and not fail in this one…

 _4 hours_ _…_ _20 minutes_ _…_

The clock reminded how much time she has left.

 _7 hours 9 minutes_ _…._

Another clock said—showing how much time she can last in this world.

She continued to move through all the realms that she saw—trying to find the right energy with all her senses, from the ones she built herself and the one that were given to her.

As she finally reaches a door to a particular realm, she could feel something familiar to her senses. The scent… the atmosphere…and more importantly, her heart really told her that someone she holds dear is inside…

She decided to knock it once…

But no one responded.

Believing what Eli would do knowing if one was a stranger, Nozomi decided to barge in without permission. Immediately, she found herself inside a big room filled with iced furniture. For a moment there, she couldn't recognize it, but after taking a few seconds to think, she began to realize… this is definitely Eli's apartment room. There are a few parts of the room that seems to be different though—but she knows that the part looked like Otonokizaka High School council room…

Nozomi smiled faintly to herself…

 _This is a good step, good job, me_ _…_

She said in her mind. She processed to get further in—closing the door behind her and heading to the next door.

"Why are you here…?" said a familiar voice...

"Ericchi…?" Nozomi quickly turns herself around. She could see Eli sitting on a chair that looked like the student council's seat, complete with the desk as well. She was even wearing her uniform and that usual cold expression on her face…

"Answer me…. why are you here…?" Eli asked coldly.

"I'm came to take you back home…" Nozomi replied with a relieved smile.

"No point of me going with you…I'm just an emotion…" Eli said.

Nozomi remained silent, her smile fading instantly.

"….you better go home by yourself… it's dangerous inside…" Eli continued.

"But… what about you…? I mean… the real you…. is she inside…?" Nozomi asked.

"She is…but I don't want you to go in… as I said… it's dangerous inside… so stay away and live for yourself…"

"I refuse… let me in. Let me try and reach the real you once again… this is my only chance…and I don't have that much time… you are separated from your body, I need to get you back before it's too late."

"That creature is still inside…along with the real me… if you meet her once again—she will show you no mercy… and you'll be doomed for real…"

"I thought you promised that you will protect me…?"

The blonde remained silent.

"…sadly…I know I can't fight her either… how can I protect you if I can't fight her…?"

"Work together… let's work together….that's what we always do, right?"

"Your power and my power combined will still do nothing to her…"

"Then wit, I told you that I will do it with my wit…."

"And your wit didn't save you before…right?"

"That's why I'm trying again…so allow me to go further in…"

Eli sighs heavily, rolls her eyes and remains silent. Nozomi knows that she will not say anything else in the future…so she decided to walk towards the door anyway and try to open it but it won't budge…

 _Well_ _…it_ _'_ _s time to use something else_ _…_

She thought as she begins to scan the room, trying to find a few small tools to pick the lock, then heading back to the door.

There is a keyhole there, but as Nozomi tried reach in with her tools….

"Eh…? What is this…? There's nothing inside…?" she said.

"….that door doesn't have any keys…you can't pick it…" Eli said

"Then...maybe I should copy the spiritual version one…" Nozomi tried to copy the tools and try again—but there's still nothing inside…

"…I told you, you can't…."

Nozomi pouts, she drops all the tools and tries to look again.

 _Maybe a little force this time_ _…_

She thought as she eyes a small crowbar placed near the bookcase, heading there to pick it up…

"You are into breaking my furniture now…?" Eli raises her eyebrows as she watches Nozomi head towards the door with the crowbar.

"Blame the one that's too stubborn to open this—….!" Nozomi tried to open it with crowbar…

"Hnnnnnnnrrrrrggghh…..!"

It's too heavy….

"Well…tell you what… the door will never be opened without my permission…"

Nozomi drops her crowbar,

"Gah….too heavy…." She said.

"Aren't you listening to me? Just go home already… this is for your sake too…"

Nozomi frowns at her, and picks up the crowbar again, smashing it to the door…

The crowbar flew away—lucky that it didn't hit her head….but still…

"Nozomi… that's dangerous… I'm not allowing you to use that again…" Eli said.

"I'm not listening!" Nozomi replied as she quickly grabs the crowbar again—for some reason, now the crowbar won't budge…

The purplenette smirks, and tries to look for something else…

"Everything in this room is mine… If I'm not allowing you to use one, then you will really not be able to use it…" Eli said.

Nozomi completely ignores her and she heads to one of the chair.

"…no…you are not going to throw that…" Eli said.

The purplenette becomes slightly disappointed, and decides to sit on it instead.

"Fine…then I'll just sit here…" Nozomi said.

Eli sighs and once again goes quiet….

Nozomi keeps scanning the room, grueling to find what she can use until an idea comes up to her mind as she saw a clock hanging on the wall.….

"—I'm going to sit here until you open the door for me… even if I have to wait after my time is up…."

Eli becomes slightly surprised as she hears the statement.

"….I don't care about my life anymore…so I don't mind if I have to wait here forever…" Nozomi continued again.

The blonde bit her lips, she once again sighs at her and finally…

Opens the door for her….

Nozomi giggles, kind of wishing that she got that idea sooner…

"Yay! Ericchi—you are the best!" she quickly heads through the door.

* * *

Back in the hospital;

Maki just finished setting up an arrangement along with Lilith and Eve. She honestly has no idea what exactly she is doing but she did it anyway. Placing Eli on the right bed—properly, they said, also changing her to patient clothes, giving her a pillow, putting the blanket, and so on…

Is this really doing anything at all…?

"I don't get it, is this actually doing anything…?" Maki asked.

"It will if you believe…" Lilith replied.

"H-huh? Now you are not making any sense…" Maki complained.

"Did you know? The most effective medicine is belief…"

"Huh…? Sounds stupid, I mean… you can't be healed with only prayers…"

"Prayers…. What prayers you're talking about? A prayer doesn't have to be for people with religions…an action is also a prayer…for example, if you are going to an exam, studying is your prayer to succeed…" Lilith replied.

"Yea-uh… parading your body is also your prayer to be called as a slattern…" Eve mumbled to herself.

"Now-now, Eve! I can hear you. Is that your prayer to be tickled till you cry?" Lilith said playfully.

"There's some truth in it though, right?" Eve replied.

"Well, that's just an example anyway!" Lilith said cheerfully to Maki.

"Mmm…I see…I somehow grasped the idea… but now…back to the topic… how much longer do you think she can last if this is actually doing anything…?"

"How long… I wonder…?"

"Hmm….i wonder too…how long do you think that specific girl will need to save her soul?"

"Eh…uh…you shouldn't ask me... but…I get the feeling that she will try her best to work it out before the actual time is over… I'm not sure though…maybe she needs more time…?"

"Then… what about an extra 3 hour? Do you think that's enough….?"

"Eh—I don't know…really…I would hope that she can last longer than a month if possible… I bet Nozomi needs a lot of time to improve her skills…"

"A month…. Huh? Sadly I don't have that much time myself… 3 hours is really the best I can do…except…." Lilith pauses…she look into Eve.

"I don't mind…but I can't do a month either...what about 7 hours?"

"I still think that it will be too fast… building her skill to match that creature should be longer than that…"

"Oh—come on, I beat her hard enough already… I bet anyone can poke her with a stick and she will die from it…"

"Sister, I don't think it's that easy, what if she has some sort of an instant regeneration—? Or at least…something that would make her stronger…?"

"You're right, Eve… maybe she has Autotomy…?"

"That's what a lizard has…sister….not a creature like her… let's just call it regeneration…"

"H-hey…why should I bother with what it's called! The point is, how much longer is Eli's body going to live for?

"Well, she probably has extra 7 hours… so if you really want to help, why don't you get your group and yourself to where Nozomi is…?"

"We don't know where she is!" Maki said.

"That creature said she was saved by her friends, right? Any chance of you to know anyone who has the courage to meet spirits and nuts enough to jump in and save her…?"

"Eh..I don't know any of her friends, other than Eli….." Maki tried to think…

"Or…if it's the spiritual kind of friends…then…." She continued before she began to twirl the tips of her hair while placing her other hand on her waist, glancing up to the ceiling….

"Hmm…how is that even possible…? I believe none of us told them about Nozomi's situation?"

"You know, miracles happen…." Eve replied.

"Or perhaps one of them is some sort of an oracle like me…" Lilith said.

"Stalker, you mean?" Eve said to her sister,

"Stalker…Oracle…what's the difference… I'd suck both…" Lilith said.

Eve rolls her eyes and sighs heavily.

"Ignore her… you should go ahead now…maybe she needs you all…" she said.

"I hope we can be of help… I feel like our power combined still won't catch up to Nozomi's level…put aside that creature…" Maki said.

"Just go already! You shouldn't make her wait for too long!"

* * *

The other world,

Did anybody tell her to stop after going through the hallway, connecting her to another door? What kind of realm did Eli and that creature actually make…? If that creature truly is a form of someone….or Eli's anxiety… then what exactly does her anxiety want from her…? Will she really be too dangerous for her…?

The thought of Eli's desire to suicide makes Nozomi feel uncomfortable...what if she truly kills herself this way? Did she still fail to convince her about how the world isn't always that bad? Did she still have doubts about it…? How can she convince her to stop thinking that way?

As soon as she takes a step in past the door at the end of the hallway, she found herself in a very dark and…an abandoned room. She continues to venture further….

And stopped right after she saw a body being thrown to the ground—right in front of her….

"Oh…sorry…didn't notice you there…" again—it's Eli's voice…but this one is rather…calm…? Is she really calm…?

Nozomi remained silent, trying to understand what emotion she is seeing right now…

"Well… my coldness has told me about your arrival…." She said—as she shows up close to Nozomi, with blood all over her face and clothes.

"Welcome… do you intend to save the real me…?" she asked with a mischievous smile...

Nozomi once again remain unresponsive, looking down at the dead body near her feet.

"….yes….? Well...the door is open for you…." the blonde continues as she opens the door to another hallway,

Nozomi looks at the door, feeling uncertain of the things she will face upon walking through it and of the unknown words she will hear.

So she decided to keep being silent as she observes every detail that she could grab from the current room.

There's a lot of ragged curtain, wardrobes and…. coffins?

"What emotion are you…?" Nozomi finally speaks her question.

"…I am….hatred….nice to meet you…." she smiled at her.

Once again, Nozomi tried to think of something that might come up if she decided to just walk away….

"….mm…do I make you feel uncomfortable? What if I give you some more introduction…will you feel any better…?"

"What introduction…? I know almost everything about you…" Nozomi replied.

"Of course, it will be my trophies— you don't know about them, right…?" Eli replied to her.

"Then, show me your trophies…" Nozomi replied.

"What a good spirit, mmm...I love that part of you… or…no… I love everything from you, Nozomi…" Eli said as she walks to the most corner of the coffins.

"Let's make it short, shall we…? I'll start from this person…"

She opened the first coffin, it's the Inn owner that said to be chasing after Maki and friends—the one soul that everyone was looking for…

"She is my first victim…the one who became my very first kill… I have never known this ability of mine if she, the most powerful one never told me about it. To be able to drag one soul out of the vessel…then devour at will…. Isn't it amazing…?" she chuckled as she closes the coffin again.

"Then I keep going with my row… with her guide….I just dragged their souls and absorbed them into my soul—converting them into my spiritual power…." She explained while she points her fingers through the coffins until the second to last coffin.

"….and for now…this is the latest person I have eaten….a flower shop keeper… " she smiled proudly.

"…Why did you eat them…?"

"Hmm….? She told me to just bring from the most worthless souls…so these are the most worthless souls I gathered…"

"….Alright… so tell me any reason as to why you killed the first and the last…"

"The first one? Simply because I was very jealous…. Extremely jealous and felt my territory being threatened….someone like her shouldn't exist…not in history, not in a life time…." She explained,

"….and for the last one…it's simply because I…don't like the way she was treating me….as a customer…"

"What were you trying to get…" Nozomi asked,

"A bouquet of flower…. I told her I wanted a most beautiful and flawless one—she obeyed my request until she figured out that the flowers were meant for a girl…she tried to give me the blue one, saying that it's a lot better for friendship…"

Nozomi feel like she knows where this is going…

"At the time I told her that it's more than friendship… she gave me old…dry flowers…. and told me that such feelings aren't worthy to be described with any living flowers. I was really angry and I left her shop…I could've just tried to buy from another shop… leaving that one big asshole alone with her phobia… but that powerful soul told me… maybe I better not try…it's better that way than to realize that the majority of the world is someone like that jerk…"

"One does not describe the whole world… you should've realized that, right?"

"I did… but the majority of the world is someone like her… so….why bother?"

"You see, Ericchi… if your life now is surrounded by assholes and jerks, you just need to get yourself to see the bigger world—or to at least make some space for someone who is kind to you instead…or maybe just for someone who loves you as who you are… me…your sister… Niko and those juniors perhaps? I mean…. there's no point of you to keep all these people in your memories— they aren't worthy of your life time…"

Eli remained silent for a moment, then gives her a soft smile…

"My dear, Nozomi… I knew you would say something like that to this emotion. Anything to convince me to stop hating and holding grudges… but you know what, I'm listening to you… I truly always do…that's why…this last coffin is prepared, specially made to make you a happier girl…" she said.

Nozomi slightly flustered…

"That coffin…. For me…?"

"No…of course not! Someone as kind as you shouldn't be in this coffin… you should've just fled rather than waste your precious time for me…."

"So….you're saying….?" Nozomi tried to understand her intention….

"….this coffin…is for me…. without my hatred lurking in your world, you'll be a happier girl…you'll make a perfect friend for everyone… "

Nozomi clenched her fist, she should've expected these kinds of words coming from her hatred…

"After all... the person that I hate the most…is me…. I should have never been living with a person like you. Why do you like a murderer like me anyways?" the blonde chuckled,

Nozomi shook her head, she believes that perhaps, it's better for her to just ignore this one emotion… she will just be wasting her time and make herself fail to save the real one.

"Well…there are two doors open for you… which one you are going to pick? One will lead you to your own doom…and the other one will lead you to your happiness…"

The purplenette decides to go to deeper into the realm without question and as soon as she steps out of the door, one that said to be leading to her doom….

"….that's a poor choice…you know. But come back here if you happen to change your mind…. The other door will still be open for you…."

From there, Nozomi realized, even though she is the hatred… she still has the same kind of love with the coldness that she encountered in the first room. She smiles at her, making a short run-back to reach her again….

"Well… can you send a message for the coldness as well? I might've be a little too rough on her…" Nozomi holds the blonde's hand, who looks somewhat confused…

"What message?" she asked,

Without doubt, Nozomi kissed her on her lips…just for a few seconds…

"…I love both of you, so make sure to save me if I'm in trouble with the rest of emotions ok?" she said before she runs off again to do her mission.

The blonde is dumbfounded, she has no idea of what to say to that. A slight blush colored her cheeks—unseen in the darkness….

"Stupid… you're not supposed to love me…."

She whispered to herself before she realizes that her body and her room began to fade...

* * *

The temple;

The group arrived at the temple, and immediately began to search for the souls that allied with them. It took a while for them to finally find someone they know—Hanako, the said to be legendary toilet ghost…

"Ah—Hanako-chan!" Kotori shouted as she becomes the first to notice her presence.

"Oh! Kotori-nee-chan! It's been a while!"

"Hehehe! How are you?" Kotori started the conversation.

"Good! Hehe! Are you all here to ask about Nozomi-nee-chan?" Hanako asked.

"Yup! Do you happen to know where she might be…?" Kotori asked as the rest of the group started to join in on the conversation.

"Of course! Hehe! But…she isn't in this world right now… she is traveling within the other realm to save someone!"

"T-Traveling within the other realm?!" Umi exclaimed in her surprise.

"Yep! It's pretty dangerous there so I don't suggest you to go there…" Hanako said.

"Uh…but, we have information for her…" Hanayo said.

"What information, Pana-nee-chan?" Hanako asked.

"Eli's body durability is prolonged for about 7 hours… she can try taking a little of her time to be less careless…" Maki said.

"Ah—that seems to be not too important…hehe…I believe, either way, she will try her best to work on it…" Hanako said.

"It is a very important information..." someone else said. The group tried to look for this someone, Hanako quickly silenced.

"Ah—Kagemi-san…" Honoka greeted her first.

"…my prediction says that there will be more struggles within that realm…if there's someone…or a group of people who could deliver the information to her…" Kagemi said.

"Heh—then, alright, I'll do it…" Maki said.

"Oi-oi, for some reason, I feel like you're being too arrogant yourself. We don't even know where in the other realm she went to… it's a huge place!" Niko said.

"Have you ever been there…?" Umi asked.

"Errh…well…accidentally…actually…when I was…uhm… watching someone specific…"

"Stalking, you mean?" Maki asked teasingly.

"S-shut up! Either way! It's a huge place… so … I doubt we can do the delivery…"

"Hey, do you think I'll be stupid enough to transport you to a place far from the destination? My power isn't limited to something like that… You're all ones who has limited power…" Kagemi said.

"E-eh…? Uh…Kagemi-san….? Are you sure about that? I mean… you look…..well…fragile yourself…" Honoka said.

"I have to agree… I mean, it's fine if we have to be a little further, as long as we have a guide, I think we're fine…" Umi said.

"Why are you all doubting me…? Is it because I look old…?"

The group remain silent, trying their best to not show that they agree with that statement.

"..fine…" Kagemi said with a sigh.

The old vessel slowly crumbles into dust, leaving only the shrine dress on the ground. Then a huge—tall—dark creature… a woman with black dress shows up in front of them them…

Umi recognizes her form, but she isn't quite sure of her memory… there are some things that feel different than the one in her memory… the group is somehow able to see her as well—even Maki.

"Y...You—….?" She lost her words,

"Sheesh, so troublesome… now I have to find another empty vessel…"

"…are that one soul who haunted Eli before…?"

"Hmm…? How rude, you made me leave my only vessel—then accuse me for following that fox?"

"N-No? But you really look alike…"

"I know, but still doesn't make me happy to be similar with her anxiety form…"

"Any idea of why you two look alike…?"

"Not that I have any idea…" Kagemi replied.

"..but…this is just a guess… I met a little nine tail in the past, she was so sad and lonely...i didn't approach her until at one point, she began to show some kind of vengeful aura towards people around her…." she continued again.

"V-vengeful Aura…?" Hanayo began to shiver,

"Yep, a really bad one… I don't know what was with her, but as I approached her, she ran from me and hid behind bushes… it was somewhat cute to be honest So I tried to be as gentle as possible…"

"Did she see you…?"

"Yes…she did… at first, I was a little worried of her growing up with that malicious attitude and becoming a big problem for me. I did want a population control, but not a huge massacre…so I put her fox soul to sleep, while keeping her human consciousness wide awake…"

"….oh….now I see, that's why Eli wasn't that powerful back then…" Niko said.

"Wasn't that powerful? You're joking, right? All nine tails are born strong—it's just about time for them to learn what they can do. Perhaps that's the reason why she gave birth to her anxious self, because her feelings are conflicted and forced to change too quickly… I believe you all know who is responsible for that…"

"Nozomi…" they said with a soft sigh.

"It's not that it's something bad though, the faster, the better—just a lot of risk taken…"

"Wait, how could she give birth to that creature…?"

"Not the same way with how woman usually give birth normally…"

"No…no…what I mean is, why did she give birth to that creature from such an act? I mean...I feel like Nozomi has a good point…she wouldn't change if someone didn't force her to change quickly…"

"….Say, if someone is trying to make you to act quickly while you are still thinking about it—will you be confused?"

"Uh…yes….maybe?"

"That's exactly what I'm telling you dear, a confused person could do anything and it's worse because the host of the soul is a powerful spiritual creature… or we can just say it's an extreme panic reaction of hers…"

"So…basically… what do we need to do…?" Maki asked, trying to hasten the discussion that seems to be wandering somewhere else…

"What do you need to do? More like, what do you want to do…. I can be of help if you need…but if not, I'd be happy to still go.. because…as you can see…I am in need of a new vessel… if anything happens to those two, I'd take the liberty to possess their fresh vessel…"

"H-Huh? What? Let's not come to that conclusion yet!" Niko said.

"We need to act fast, what should we do…?" Umi asked.

"Let's go there together and save them!" Kotori said.

"Y-yeah! We need to do that-nya!" Rin said.

"But what are we actually going to do…? Aren't we just going to give the information?" Hanayo asked.

"I suppose there's that, we never actually know the exact situation…" Maki said.

"Ooo… Kagemi-san! Take us all there in an instant! We have no more time to lose!" Honoka said.

Kagemi chuckles at her,

"Hahaha—I like that spirit of yours! Be prepared to witness my awesome power….!"

Before the group was able to say anything else….

* * *

The other world,

Nozomi passed through another hallway and found herself to be standing in front of another emotion room. She wonders what this emotion might be, getting somewhat excited to know…

When she enters the room, she could see tons of book piled up—like it was meant to be for hiding instead of reading.

"Ericchi!" Nozomi tried to call out.

No response given…

Well, perhaps she shouldn't bother searching and mess around with every emotion… she has to go through the door and continue her mission.

By the time she is about to step into the door, a pile of books suddenly collapsed to block her way…

She noticed someone hiding between the colorful books.

"There, Ericchi…! Come out and talk with me, will you?"

Again, no response…

"It's fine, I won't scold you or bite you…. I'm not Nikochi…" Nozomi said.

The blonde finally shows herself—but still hiding behind books anyway….

"Ericchi…I need to pass through…. To save the real you…" Nozomi said.

"G…..ghh….." a shy voice coming out from her….

"Ghh….Go home….!" She finally said.

"I can't… I'm here now and I'll finish this…"

"I…it's dangerous deep inside… so…G..Go home! I don't like you!" the blonde said shyly before she escaped...

"Well then, I'll just dig through these books…." Nozomi said, but before she was able to try—another pile of books dropped there.

"Hey-hey! Ericchi! Quit doing that already! Come out and talk to me!" Nozomi said.

"No! Go home! I hate you!" she replied.

"Sheesh… I'm going to count to three and if you are still stubborn—I'll be the one who will hate you!"

"Harasho! Leave me alone!"

Well…perhaps that's not the right approach….she needs to do something else…

"Mmm..alright, I changed my mind…I don't hate you…. I really-really-really love you… that's why, you need to come out or at least—allow me to go further!"

No response.

Nozomi sighs and instead of waiting for her, she decided to dig into the pile of books. This might be risky as Eli might drop more stacks of books on her—but she knows her well...

Eli will not harm her—that's what she has always believed. As for that someone who almost killed her soul… is that person really Eli's anxiety?

Either way, she will have to deal with her later…this time, focus on getting through this room…

At the times she got so close to the door—to be exact, at the time she is about to open the door, a specific blonde jumped in and pressed herself to the door.

"I said, don't go there!" she shouted with blush all over her face.

A playful smile comes out on the purplenette's face, she presses herself against the shy blonde and kisses her lips tenderly.

"N-N-Nozomi….!" Eli shoves her away, making distance while her face turns even more red.

"T-T-This is embarrassing!" she said loudly.

"What's so embarrassing about this? We've seen each other naked…!" Nozomi said teasingly.

"Y-y-you know… I…I'm not worthy of your soft lips… not for your love either… it made me sick that I was forcing you to accept me… and I don't like the way you are so nice to me and pretend that everything is fine! You can tell me if you don't like me! You don't have to make me feel embarrassed of myself!"

"Hmm….I see…so that's what you were thinking…but Ericchi, you see, if I can split myself into many emotions like you… everyone will want to have some nice sex with you as their priority...from the one you can see in my surface until the core of me…"

"Y…you're doing it again…."

"You are attractive Ericchi, believe it. There's no reason for anyone to pretend to like you because if there's anyone attracted to you physically, it mostly is an honest attraction…"

"Lies…"

"Well, if I said everyone is attracted to your attitude, I lied… but I didn't say that, right? So I'm truly being honest…"

The blonde remain silent. Nozomi giggles,

"Now, you're convinced? Or…should I tell you that with your attitude, you drive almost everyone to go nuts? Maybe some can tolerate as they might be able to relate with you, but… not everyone can do that, ok?"

Eli nodded shyly.

"So…will you let me pass through? To save the real you….?" Nozomi asked.

The blonde nods, giving her the path to get the door.

"T-Take care…" she said.

Nozomi smiles and before she leaves, she plants a gentle kiss on the shy girl's forehead.

* * *

Meanwhile….

"W-woah?! This is the other world?" Honoka said excitedly as she keeps looking around. A lot of creature seems to be scared as they see the group—including Kagemi herself and Yuki the Snow Girl.

"Yes, dear… I'll take you all to where many realms are created… but behave, ok?" Kagemi said.

"Ok! Got it!" Honoka replied.

"S-she is fearless…." Umi whispered.

"I…I think she just finds it amazing to see these creatures..." Kotori replied.

"eh…these creatures do look amazing-nya! They seem harmless too!" Rin said.

"….maybe they are just harmless because they are scared of Kagemi-san…" Hanayo said.

"I believe that's the case… but…now… do the souls you see in the world, look like them too?" Maki asked.

"Not really, I thought you've seen some…" Niko replied.

"Huh? You can see too… I thought you can only see the past?"

"Sort-of…! Some souls are seen by normal people, right?" Niko replied again.

"Alright…but I guess, the thing that I should be surprised about is that you being useful in our team…"

"So you admit that I'm useful! I'm surprised!" Niko said.

"Yeah… I know… I'm surprised that I admit it…" Maki replied.

The group keeps moving forward without any obstacle as every other soul that sees them quickly move out of the way.

* * *

Deep inside the core of one specific realm,

A tall creature with pale skin and dark dress floats above the air as she stares into one specific blonde, sitting on a chained throne with dark barriers surrounding her. She looks very exhausted from whatever that was done to her…

"…so… are you going to give up, betrayer?" the creature asked her.

The blonde doesn't respond.

"….this is the only way for me to save you… just imagine if you have to deal with more pain from what they will do to you in the future…"

"….I still don't get it… why did you say that they are going to harm me later? I have not seen any reason for me to be anxious about them…they're being honest…not trying to intentionally harm me."

"That is what you have said to me long time ago! Then you soon realized that you're only being used… you regret changing yourself…and that's where I came along, to tell you that you don't need anyone else..."

"They are different…they are not pretending, I'm very sure of that!"

"No… you are being too innocent… you are opening yourself too much…you'll be harmed…!"

"I don't care! I want to believe them! I want to make myself comfortable around them!"

"You said you don't care about yourself, but you are always the first to be hurt!"

"So…? I'll learn and live with it! I don't want to make you my barrier anymore! I'm not going to run away either! I want to be strong and live by my own way! I don't want to live in fear! I'm going to face them!"

"You cannot live with that! You are too weak! Too stupid! Too naïve!"

"That's why I want to come out! I don't want to be weak, stupid and naïve forever!"

"There's no point of you being wise, you'll just be mere garbage and society is going to lead you to your doom! No one in this world thinks about anyone else more than themselves. They are all selfish!"

"What's wrong with being selfish? Isn't that normal for someone to do so? I'll be the most selfish one if I expect everyone to think about me—my feelings or always being nice to me! Truthfully, no one can live like that! Everyone struggles to live for themselves! That's why it will be nice to have a friend who we understand and understands us as well! Someone like Nozomi…someone like those kids!"

"You've seen it yourself, they were all running away!"

"It's because you hurt them first! You were scaring them!"

"True friends will—…."

"Bullshit! What true friends? You are not making any sense! This is not a perfect world where you can find everything at first sight! You have to struggle—just like everyone else!"

"You'll be the only one to struggle, there is no struggle needed if you find the right person…"

"You're talking nonsense to break my confidence, right? So that I feel like I've never found one? So that I don't want to try? Stop lying to me! Especially with those sweet words! There's no safety behind these barriers! Only fear! This will never make me any stronger! You're making me the weakest of all!"

"Fine…if you keep refusing me… I have no choice but to take your place! I'll save you from this cruel world!"

* * *

Not so far away,

Nozomi is still running to hasten her journey, she looks into her watch and finds out that she only has 2 hours left to save her girlfriend…

She doesn't know how many emotions she will need to get through—but as soon as she finds a door to a room, she quickly enters without hesitation, ignoring the details of the room that looks very-very melancholic. There's one specific blonde sitting on the bed, crying and seems to have never taken any breaks from it.

The purplenette also ignored the pool of water on the floor, which most likely came from Eli's tears, heading to the door and attempted to open it. Yet….

 _It_ _'_ _s locked_ _…_

She said to herself.

Quickly, she turns her sight to Eli—or more like, Eli's sadness…

"Ericchi…open the door, I need to pass through..! I don't have much time left!"

The blonde continues to cry, showing no hints of responding…

Nozomi sighs softly. She decided to head towards Eli and take a seat next to her. Now she noticed that the bed is soaked by her tears….

"Ericchi, please stop crying and listen to me, will you?"

The blonde still quiet in her cries…

"Look, I really don't have that much time left…and I don't know how deeper this realm is going to be…so… really…2 hours might be too short for me…"

"Can't you just use those 2 hours to leave? I don't want you to suffer for me… it makes me sad…." The blonde finally speaks.

"It will make me sad too if I lose you… I really love you… truly… love you…so…think about my feelings too…"

The blonde sobbed, she shows a hint of calming down…

"Please…open the door…and let me pass through…."

"Will you promise me that you will succeed?"

"Yep! We will be together forever too! I promise!"

The blonde nodded, she turns her sight to the door and raises her hand—unlocking and opening it at the same time.

"It's a promise, Nozomi…I believe you…"

The purplenette smiles and again, gives her a kiss on her lips.

"I'm glad you are convinced quickly… but, just to let you know… if you want to show yourself to me later—I'll listen to you and I promise I will not try to shame you for being sad…"

The blonde nods again,

"just go…. Don't make me start thinking about the chances of you being a failure..!"

"I know-I know! But I'll succeed! Trust me!" Nozomi replies before she quickly runs to the door and leaves.

* * *

The entrance to the realm,

The group finally arrives along with Kagemi and Yuki.

"So…this is where Nozomi and Eli is…?" Umi asks.

"Most likely…" Kagemi replies.

"Most Likely? Now you're not convincing…" Niko said.

"No one can sense a a target person, you know, I only could feel a big uncomfortable presence and a presence of a living person inside—so I thought, this must be where they are…" Kagemi replied.

"Huh? Ok…so…I guess we just have to go inside then?" Niko said.

"Yep…" Kagemi said.

"Alright…let's get this over with…" Maki said as she heads in first, followed by Rin and Hanayo. Honoka, Kotori and Umi joins in afterwards, while Niko is left doubtful.

"Hey, is it really ok to do this…?" Niko asked to Kagemi..

"What's wrong with trying…? I thought you all wanted to do this…"

"I know…but…I feel like, even if we are there, we might not be able to do anything…"

"Say, one day, you really-really want to eat a hamburger—that one human food… then suddenly, someone informs you that there's a very delicious hamburger shop open in the city… what will you do?"

"Uh…move my ass there and buy one…?

"Exactly… a little information as such is very important at the right time…maybe some people will brush you off—but still, you tried… and you just need to believe that they will be glad to be informed."

"Hmm..alright… but…really…what do you think we should do after that? Can we really be of any help?"

"Someone's wisdom isn't only placed in what they speak of, but in their actions as well. I don't know what your friend want–or what you want… so… I'll leave that to you all to decide…"

"Huh…? Alright… I guess I'll take that…helpful advice…"

"You're welcome…" Kagemi replies as she watches Niko heading into the realm as well.

The two souls are quiet for a moment until Kagemi begins to move away,

"M'lady…." Said the snow girl.

Kagemi didn't reply…but she stops to listen.

"….I know I have never requested you of anything, and nor am I worthy to make any request to you at this moment…. but….can I–…."

"I'm just going to pretend that I don't know what you are going to do tonight…" Kagemi replies coldly and clearly before she continues to walk.

Yuki silenced,

"So come back when you are done… and I'd expect you to not come back by yourself…" Kagemi continues again as she fades away from the snow girl's sight.

The snow girl smiles at her,

"Maybe you're not as bad as I thought you to be…M'lady…."

She turns herself to the realm's entrance,

"I'll make sure to apologize to you later…"

* * *

The Hall to another room,

Again, Nozomi isn't quite sure of how long she will have to go on. So far, she has met Coldness, Hatred, Shyness, and Sadness. She wonders if she will ever see any positive emotions such as Happiness or Playfulness. She want to believe that Eli really does have those emotions. Maybe they should be deep inside?

As soon as she proceeds further, very close to the next room's door…

"Ah—Nozomi! I've been waiting for you!" a voice she knows, shouts

The door in front of her opened, without doubt—that's another emotion room.

Nozomi smiles—she is happy that there's one emotion that was expecting her to come by.

 _What emotion is this?_

She wonders.

She has passed through almost all of the negative emotions, could this be something positive…?

Either way, she needs to get through this room and get the real one out of her realm.

* * *

 **See you next chapter!**


	21. Ch21: No More Doubt

**Sorry for the really long delay!**

 **Crimson is no longer be able to edit my work, so I have to transfer this to LightRiver33. Now she has a lot of my work queued! lol.**

 **Thank you for understanding though!**

 **Thanks for reviews/comment/faves/follows too!**

* * *

The group got into the first room.

Never before have they seen such a neat room but it had a cold and heavy atmosphere. They found Eli sitting on another part of the council room.

"Uwah! Eli-chan! We've been looking for you!" Honoka said And moved to approach her.

"W-wait…something doesn't feel right!" Umi said as she held Honoka back.

The Eli they saw remained silent.

"U…uhm…Eli-chan, wh-where's Nozomi-chan?" Hanayo asked.

The blonde still kept quiet and she kept her focus on the paperwork as the others wondered why she was doing that in this place.

"E… Eli-chan…?" Kotori tried to call her as well.

"Hey, answer us already, we don't have that much time!" Maki said.

The blonde sighed at them heavily.

"Why can't you all stop bothering me? I don't have that much time for your stupidity." she replied coldly.

"W-What did you say?!" Maki clenched her fist, she is about to argue with her, but Niko quickly held her back.

"Oi-oi! No fighting!" the little senior said.

"She can at least be nicer, can't she?!"

"It's useless, you can't change her, she is only an emotion…" Yuki—who just entered the room, said.

"E-Emotion?" everyone was flustered.

"Yes, this is pretty much how almost every powerful but clueless soul create their realm. Their emotions are split into many souls and are placed in a room according to what they often show on the surface. The deeper it is, the truer they become."

"A-ah…so, that means… We should just go deeper inside instead?" Umi asked.

"Yes… but we still have to ask permission…." Yuki said as she looked into Eli's coldness.

"I don't care about you all. So if you want to go, just go. You know the risk…"

"Well, we are here to support Nozomi, so… we don't care about you either." Maki said before she headed to the door.

"There's hatred in the next room, act like that and she won't spare you." the coldness said.

Maki cringed.

"U-uh, then I guess we will be very careful!" Hanayo said.

"Y-yeah-nya!" Rin said.

"I'll get through to her…" Maki said before she braced herself to pass through the door.

The rest of the group is a little scared of what could be happen but they just shrugged and quickly beckoned each other to follow Maki.

* * *

Somewhere outside the other world.

Unconscious bodies were lined up inside the temple… each of them were posed as if they're sleeping deeply. Hanako, Reiko and Akamanto patiently took care of them and the room was quiet until Reiko started a conversation…

"Hey! Don't you think, Eli looks like a mean antagonist?" Reiko said—she isn't looking at Eli right now since her body is not present in the line. Instead, she is looking at Nozomi's unconscious body.

"Reiko-nee-chan, I think you should stop talking about people behind their backs. You'll get karma again!" Hanako said.

"Oh, come on! Imagine when you're looking at her! Even though she is doing nothing, she looks like she is frowning and… look at her pale skin! She totally looks like Kagemi!"

"Uhm…well, she definitely looks like Lady Kagemi in a way, but to be honest, I think Lady Kagemi is not a bad person either."

"I know, she is not… bad, she is evil and merciless! I wonder why anyone likes them! Dai Mao surely has such a taste! Boobs-chan also has a terrible taste…"

"Uhm… so, what qualifies as 'good taste' for you…?"

"Of course—it's….." Reiko stood proudly.

"Someone like me!" she continued with a cheerful high-school girl pose…

"You mean, someone like Niko-nee-san?"

"No... little imp is too short… my body is perfect…." She replied.

"Uh….. Maki-nee-chan then?"

"No, she is slightly too tall and those long and slim fingers aren't sexy at all, plus, I'm humble! Not a jerk like her…"

"S-sounds like Umi-nee-chan and Kotori-nee-chan!"

"Nope, nothing like them too, I have the perfect qualities!"

"Uuh… I don't know anymore…"

And just a second later, a very quick wind slashed through them— Hanako quickly dodged it along with Akamanto, while Reiko was still standing with her pose—and, once again, she got sliced into two…

Her legs fell apart and disappeared….

"You bastard!" a very loud shout.

Hanako quickly tried to look for the source but less than a minute later, Kagemi and a woman with purple hair rolled in into the room—and it looked like they were in the middle of fight.

But perhaps the bigger question should be—how could Kagemi fight with anyone if she isn't supposed to be able to be untouchable to mortals . Then there's the question of who this person fighting with her is.

"I'm taking their bodies, that's everything I need!" said the other woman, parrying Kagemi's sword with her bare arm.

"I don't care whatever space or universe you came from! You are not going to lay your dirty hands on them!" Kagemi said as she pushed harder.

"My hands have done more hand jobs than your sword did sword jobs!"

"W-what does that even mean, you idiot?!"

"Nothing in particular. I'm just messing around, of course! It's not like you need a reason to make love with anyone…!" the woman said playfully.

"A-Are you speaking about being intimate?! You perverted, shameless creature!" Kagemi raised her sword again and before she was able to slash the woman, the woman quickly jumped away.

Kagemi turned around and—

The other woman kissed her.

Kagemi was stunned in place, still holding her sword and she trembled in shock.

"L-Lady Kagemi….?" Hanako's eyes were wide opened—she was also shocked by the event.

It's just too random…

too sudden….

and too brave….

The woman turned around after removing her lips from Kagemi…

"Wooooo! Eveee! I achieved my goal!" she shouted.

Another woman walked in to the room with a palm on her face and reddened cheeks.

"….G-G-Goal….?" Kagemi tried to confirm what she heard.

"Yep! Kissing the demon Empress! Now I'm going to do the Demon King!"

"Y-You are not going to touch my husband!"

* * *

Back into the realm.

Nozomi still has no idea what kind of emotion she will meet in this very room. The room is beautiful and luxurious with comfortable looking furniture everywhere and a strong scent of chocolate in the air, plus a set of erotic decorations with only women.

"Over here… come…." A sultry voice she knows came from the luxurious bed.

 _Ah—this emotion is…._

And before Nozomi was able to think…

A powerful force pulled her to the bed, then a pair of long chains quickly locked both her hands.

"Welcome…to my room, honey…." The voice is now clear and is coming from nearby—but she can't see the person anywhere…

"Are you looking for me?" the voice chuckled.

Nozomi kept looking around, wondering where she could probably be.

"Well…there are two ways for you to find me…" she said.

Nozomi remained silent, still trying to figure out exactly where the voice is coming from.

"The first is you will have to play a game with me… and the second one, you have to choose to return to where you belong and be the good girl you always are…."

Obviously, Nozomi doesn't want to choose the second option since that meant that she has to give up on looking for the real Eli.

"I'll play your game but please make this quick. I don't have that much time!"

"What are you saying? You have enough time. You can reach the last room in just five minutes and perhaps watch her be eaten by her own emotion?"

"I won't let that happen! So please… I'll play whatever game you want… but make it quick!"

"Sheesh...and here I thought I was always be the serious one… but since you are being too much of a worrywart, I'll make you this deal…"

Nozomi remained silent.

"You can win against her in under 30 minutes. I will tell you everything you need… but that's only if you can satisfy me…"

"So what do you want from me, exactly?"

"…First… strip yourself… slowly…and I want you to enjoy yourself while doing it…."

"Are you watching this from somewhere…?" Nozomi asked as she kept on looking for her.

"I am… and before you try to outwit me by asking where you should look as a way for you to know where I am— I already find myself to be watching from a perfect angle."

Nozomi remained silent because she really was planning to do that.

"Well, ok, but now… can you un-chain my hands? I can't strip with these chains…"

"Sure…" the voice replied.

The chain moved and released her hand—but instead of disappearing, the chain slid to her ankle.

Nozomi is flustered. She wondered what she can say to get this Eli to release her from the chains completely.

"You don't need to move your ankles… I don't mind if you are just partially naked at the bottom…I like it either way…."

"Sheesh? Really? You sound like you're just making up an excuse to chain me up…"

"Hmm… making up excuses? No way… I just love chaining someone up… or bind my property…"

"Why? Afraid I'm going to escape from you?"

"Afraid of you escaping?" the voice chuckled.

"Nope… not that. It's all just my selfish desire. I always want to keep someone for myself…someone whom I will never share with anyone…but now, enough talking… expose that nice skin of yours for me…"

"Hmm… fine… you're an eager one, aren't you?"

The voice chuckled again.

"I am her lust after all… and guess what?" the voice stopped.

Nozomi could feel hands on her shoulders…

"You are the only one I want for myself…" the voice whispered softly in her ears.

* * *

Somewhere further to the front.

The group finally reached the next room… somewhat scared to keep going—but they knew they have to…

By the time they reached the center of the room, they found themselves surrounded by coffins. Looking at those already made them shiver, yet they all tried hard to keep going— with Yuki as their only source of light in their path.

A mischievous laugh is heard from the room but none of them know where exactly it comes from.

"I can sense fear…." the voice said deeply—causing the group to freeze in place.

"H….hatred….?" Maki slowly turned around.

"Yes…. It's me. I heard what you said to Coldness…" the hatred appeared and she is in a shrine maiden dress.

"And….?" Maki prepared herself for any sort of incoming strike.

"Well… nothing more…. Are you expecting me to do something to you?"

Maki remained silent.

"No…? Well… I wouldn't want to do anything to you anyway… you're someone she protects…"

"She….?" Maki flustered.

"Nozomi…. She's got your back…and everyone here are people she protects… so I won't do anything….unless… you have something you want to do to me?" the hatred smiled at her.

"Nah—let's just go everyone… ignore her…we need to do something for Nozomi too, right?" Maki said.

"Wait…" Umi said, halting everyone from moving to the door.

"…something feels off…and I don't want this to bother me…" Umi continued.

"W-what is…Umi-chan?" Kotori asked.

"Don't you all feel strange when hatred told you that she won't do anything to people who are protected by someone?"

"Uh...no?" Honoka replied.

"Well, I understand what you are saying, but… can we really do anything? She is meant to be like that…" Maki said.

"What I mean is, I need to get this straight…" Umi turned to hatred who has been watching them with her hateful eyes.

"None of us trying to be closer to Nozomi—or intentionally want to harm you or her…we're all the same…no one is higher than anyone…"

"You're pretty sharp, aren't you?" the hatred replied.

"So I was right, you did have a problem with us…"

"I have…and yes… it was when you all suddenly became more important to her than me…"

"You do realize that what is happening now shows something else to you, right?" Umi replied.

"I do…. That's why I'm not doing anything to you at all…"

"…this is what I feared… I don't like anyone holding grudge against me so, if you have problem with me, let's deal with it. Right now." Umi said bravely.

"You're wasting time, Umi… it's no use for you to do anything like that…" Maki said.

"Then you all go first. I want to deal with this one…" Umi replied.

"Huh? There's no way I can do that… I'll stay here too!" Maki said.

"B-but…aren't we supposed to—…." Hanayo spoke, attempting to convince the others to move forward.

"Ahh, you're all so slow! Let's go ahead and get the information to her…" Niko said before she pushed the rest of the group to past the door—leaving Maki and Umi with Hatred.

* * *

Deep in the Room of Lust…

Nozomi lay on the comfortable bed with her ankles chained and her bare body was being enjoyed like there was no tomorrow. Her nipples were suckled and her core was rubbed as the slippery fingers penetrated deep into her hollow.

After she was told to do so many sexual acts with the emotion's soul, she still has no idea how her soul could react the same way as her physical body—perhaps this is all just a thing that created by this room?

She could feel her fingers digging deep into her tight walls and the way she stretched her elastic hollow…and the way her nipples tensed…

Everything is too mixed up and the only thing that was worrying her is the time limit that she has. More than half an hour passed and the time keep ticking away. She doesn't know if she is truly enjoying this. The thrill of her excitement and the worry in her heart were mixed together…

 _1 hour, 20 minutes…._

The clock that hung near the bed read.

When will this lust be satisfied? Should she try to ask when? Or perhaps, she should just try her best to cooperate? She honestly really loves this but it's just not in the right time.

Now she could feel her core touching hers, while she humped her and rubbed the slippery skin together. This is just weird, so weird in many ways! Could she say that this is being intimate as a soul-mate? She is literally having wonderful sex with her soul.

When this will be over? When will she get her reward?

She asked herself those questions over and over as her excitement heightens, her breathing hastens and….

"Ericchi—I'm at my limit!" Nozomi begged.

"I've been waiting for you to say that…" the blonde smiled and they both reached their orgasms together— the timing is too perfect and it's almost impossible to happen in such an exaggerated fashion. How this could happen might be a mystery but it's not what Nozomi wants to think about right now. She just wants her information and permission.

"….I'm done… that was great…." The blonde said as she lay on the bed.

"So, I'm getting my reward?" Nozomi asked.

"Of course, a deal is a deal. You can even start wearing your clothes to make this quicker since there's only an hour left…" the lust said.

Nozomi nodded and she quickly took action.

"….listen, when you get there… the thing that you should know about is how to identify the real one… if you truly know her deeply, you will know…"

"Any clues that you can give me?"

"Yep. First of all, we all actually used to be one until she decided to make room for each of her emotions. Her reason was that she needed to do it so she can live with her life at that point in time. Most people will only split into two or three but she had to do it many times."

"Then what about that creature? And why did there have to be so many of you?"

"For your first question… that 'creature' you're talking about is actually one of us. She was tainted by lies and she began to devour the others. As for your second question, it's because she was forced to do that. It's hard to live as her when everyone always expects her to have a specific emotion when facing them."

Nozomi nodded.

"I see…."

"…isn't it amazing…. For one soul to be able to make this sort of thing happen…?" the lust said.

"I've heard a few souls are able to do such… a twin soul created by conflicting emotions of one powerful soul… while the good one moves on to the light, the bad one stays and haunts the place…" Nozomi replied as she wore her clothes.

"Leaving for the light is the most optimist thing I've heard. Most of the time, while the 'good' one is trying to decide whether it's right or wrong to do something, the bad one will decide faster and devour the 'good' one so that her soul is stronger…if the host is still living, then they will most likely turn from an isolated person into an actual anti-social…"

"An actual anti-social, you say?"

"Exactly… that's why… you have to be careful…and I hope our love session today was enough to recover your senses…."

"Oh…? So this love session isn't simply just your way to satisfy yourself?"

"I could do that…yet I chose to be an effective person…I'm happy, you're happy…"

Nozomi giggled.

"You know what, I think I've found my favorite emotion of yours…"

"Well, here's the not-so-good news, honey… you need to get us all back together as one soul, else you won't be able to bring us back to our physical body easily."

"How can I even do that…?"

"Remember what she said about our fox soul? You need to somehow feed the creature to the right soul… you can do this by force or by wit—and that is something I have no recommendation for. Either way, you will win this—I'm sure…or at least I am at our current state…"

"At your current state?"

"Yep, the barrier is weakening as our 'mother' soul has gained some confidence and the creature is weakened— thanks to someone who beat her up so badly—but, alas, this is why she is created this realm for us. So that she can try convince the 'mother' soul to become more like her and give her more power…"

"Alright, so what I should do is to beat this creature up and feed her to the 'mother' soul?"

"You don't have to do that, you know. At this state, you can change the 'Ayase Eli' personality to your liking. Each of us will still exist but who becomes more dominant is the most important thing for you to consider…"

"Hmm...so that means, I can feed her to you as well?"

"Only if you want to have nice sex with me everyday. I promise I will always be aroused when looking at you."

"That's tempting, but I'll see…ok?"

The lust chuckled.

"You know what, if that is truly what will happen, I'd feel bad for hatred. She was promised to be the dominant emotion by a specific someone…"

"Specific someone…?" Nozomi wondered.

"Yes… the demon Empress paid a visit to this realm long ago… she didn't meet me, but she did stop at hatred's room and decided that she is her favorite since someone like her will really be useful as her worker. She was so close to making all of us fodder for her but she didn't do it since her right hand—the snow girl— suggested to wait for you."

"Now I wonder what can make a demon empress stop? I mean, I'm not that good!"

"Not yet that good you mean? You have a bigger potential than you think—all you need to do is to stop slacking and work that ass like how I humped you. Or maybe start to realize something called as urgency?"

"If only studying and urgency are as sexy as you—I'll do them like there's no tomorrow…"

"Trust me, urgency is sexier than orgasm when you're much more up close…" the blonde said.

"Really? I still find you sexier… especially with that sparkling skins of yours…"

"Colored by the sweat of most beautiful Goddess I've ever known, or to speak of her name: Toujou Nozomi."

"See? You're such a big flirt… I might give it all to you…" the purplenette said as she headed to the door which lust showed her.

"Good luck, honey… choose wisely."

"Ericchi… can I have one more kiss before I go?" Nozomi asked seductively as she stopped for a moment.

The blonde only replied with a playful giggle before she jumped off her bed and gave her what she wanted.

* * *

The Hatred's room.

Umi stood right in front of her with a spiritual katana in hand. Maki didn't bring anything but she always made sure her fist was swinging towards her.

Eli's hatred looks somewhat exhausted. She wasn't sure why but every time she fought, she could feel herself weakening.

"…are you done with this yet…? Or you want to finish me off later…?" the hatred asked.

"Finish you off…? I don't plan on killing anybody here. Even if I did, you will only get stronger, right?"

"Hah…you're right, even if we fought, I've never seen you actually trying to harm me…you were recoiling my attack and stayed defensive instead of attacking…." Hatred said as she sat down and rested.

"I still don't get it… what are we fighting for again…?" Maki asked.

"I just want my message to get through her…" Umi replied.

"What is this message…?" Maki asked.

"I just want to tell her that everybody makes mistakes and there's nothing wrong with that. But when it just gives birth to hatred, then I suggest beating her than letting her stay and grow…"

"So, why don't you want to kill me again?" the hatred asked.

"I told you, if I'm going to be the one to kill you, then you're just going to be stronger. So… you have to do it of your own will…no one can make you perish but yourself…."

"Hmm….so you're basically telling her to kill herself…" Maki said.

"I didn't intend to tell her that. Honestly, I understand that hatred will be born from time to time and that even if she dies now, there will be a new her in the future."

"Aren't you a bit complicated…?" the hatred asked somewhat mockingly.

"Maybe… but we all know—and you do know… that the wisest choice lies within yourself…"

"Hah! You will find no wisdom in me—I am not the wisdom… if you're looking for her, then you should probably look deeper, not in the surface like this."

"Wisdom isn't an emotion—it's what supposed to exist in every emotion…" Umi said.

The blonde remained silent.

"…being wise does not mean being perfect but to understand what needs to be done in order to reach that perfection…" the bluenette said.

"There is nothing outside of yourself that can ever enable you to get better, stronger, richer, quicker, or smarter. Everything is within. Everything Exist. Seek nothing outside of yourself…."

She continued again as she sheathed her spirit weapon and then, for whatever reason, spiritual sakura petals also spawned and flew around her.

"I…isn't that….M…Miyamoto Musashi's quote….?" Maki asked.

"Yes…" Umi replied with her brave face.

"Oh…." Maki replied before the room stayed silent for a while.

It's so awkward for Maki that she has no idea of what to say. Umi is suddenly quiet while Eli's hatred also stopped speaking to them.

Until finally, a sudden burst of laughter came from the blonde. Maki become a lot more confused and Umi's expression lightened—surprised that she laughed out of nowhere.

"What's with that, suddenly copying a warrior's quote…" she said between her laughter.

Umi and Maki didn't respond as they observed her action...

"…but sheesh…why do I exist here when there are people like you in this world… people who dare to create trouble just to find a point where we can get along..…" she chuckled.

"….maybe I should've said….someone like Nozomi… someone who jumps deep into hell just so she can reach me…and perhaps I would say the same for you…. for you all who dared travel here to save me…" she continued.

"I hate existing…. But I can't remove my existence…."

"Why do you have to hate yourself for what you are, huh?" Maki asked.

"Maybe she is talking about her being _the_ hatred…" Umi said.

"Yeah, I know… but, really…you don't have to hate yourself for existing. If you keep doing that, you might as well hate yourself and you're not supposed to do that to yourself…" Maki said.

"I'm not sure what you are getting at but… I think I understand why it was hard for some people to ease their hatred… perhaps someone like Honoka will easy forget their existence, but not for her…and it was not for me too…" The bluenette replied.

"Then tell me, what did you do to your hatred…?" Eli's hatred asked.

"As what I've told you…I beat them up hard… I scolded them so that they won't dare to be my emotion…they will be part of me—but not as anyone who can control what I do or how I speak to others…"

"What about you, Maki?" Eli's hatred asked.

Maki is slightly surprised that she is called by her name…but, either way…this might be progress…

"Well… I love the way I become myself…So I just do what I wanted to do… there's nothing wrong with that huh? It just that, maybe at some points, I'll find myself in the wrong and I will try to seek for the reason—then later, I'll do my best to fix what was wrong. Heck, I thought I learned that from watching you two always working together…or maybe I should've said that I'm learning from things around me…"

Umi and Eli remained silent, trying to process each word Maki said.

"H-hey…do you two understand what I mean?!"

"Somehow…." they replied.

"D-Damn it! You two made me say all that but you still don't get it? How much of an idiot are you two?!"

"Maybe it's your fault for not speaking clearly …" the hatred said.

"Sadly, Maki… I have to say the same… I'm confused with… finding yourself wrong and finding the reason… I mean… you got to know the reason why you're wrong when find that you're wrong, right?" Umi said.

"W-well! You don't always know the reason why you're wrong before you realize that you are wrong! I mean—hey now! Anyone can tell you when you are wrong while you still have no idea why you are wrong, right?"

"You're right…." Umi and Hatred said together.

"B-Besides! Why do we look like we're fooling around now?! I thought we were supposed to be serious!"

"Ah—!" Umi and Hatred raise their eyebrow then they suddenly began to fight with their weapons again.

"T-The heck?!" Maki complained.

Watching the two fight, Maki felt like she probably missed something but….

"Heh…guess I'm just soooo done with this stupidity…" she sighed.

* * *

The hall to the deepest room.

This is where Nozomi will decide the fate of her dearest girlfriend. This time, she tried her best to control her breathing after the running that she did.

When she looked at the time, she saw that she still has about 40 minutes left to finish her business in this realm. Hopefully, she will be able to save her before then.

She opened the door slowly.

The first thing she saw are two nine-tailed foxes fighting against each other. The other one was chained and bind, but she seemed to be strong enough to defend her soul from the attacker. Nozomi remained in silent—she didn't want to break the focus of the one she wants to be safe.

She may not know who exactly is who right now since both foxes looked similar—but one seems to emit an uncomfortable aura around her body while the other one looks neutral.

Obviously, the uncomfortable one is the one who needs to be removed while the neutral one has to be the real Eli– The one who sits in the deepest room of all…

But now that she thinks about the information given to her, she remembered that recognizing them is the first step. The next step is to somehow merge them—which she assumes that what she needs to do is to feed one of them to the real one… but she also said it doesn't have to be that way.

Which means she can use the rest of emotions as fodder for her favorite emotion—Eli's lust.

Or perhaps what she said meant something else…?

Seeing the two nine tailed foxes fighting, she began to realize that perhaps to 'make them into one' is not to feed them to one emotion but to stop them from fighting each other.

But how can that happen?

She has to do something quick before any of them kills or devours the other.

Nozomi quickly ran to the middle of the fight.

"Stop!" she shouted—but the foxes moved too quickly to listen to her and the two continued to attack each other. Fortunately for her, the neutral aura one realized her presence and quickly used her barrier magic to protect her.

The sound of the strong barriers reflecting the power was heard across the big room and Nozomi swears she could turn deaf from the loud sound—it's a good thing that she isn't in her physical body right now.

Without delay, the other fox blasted another flame mercilessly. Another barrier was put up to protect Nozomi but…

"Hrghg!" the fox who tried to protect Nozomi received an unexpected attack from behind… then, without delay, the other fox turned big and began to swallow the other fox.

"W-wait! Listen to me, please!" Nozomi begged.

The other fox didn't care—she continued to devour the other one.

"Ericchi!" Nozomi shouted as she tried to pull the fox out—but the other fox is too strong and it aggressively absorbed both of them into her soul.

* * *

In the other the room.

Kotori, Hanayo, Honoka, Rin, Niko, and Yuki arrived at the Shyness's room. They weren't able to actually find the owner of the room—but Hanayo did sense her presence somewhere around the room full of books.

"Uhm….I can't find the owner of this room…. But I can't find the next door either…" Honoka said.

"I swear this place was so much deeper than I thought…" Yuki said.

"M-maybe you can scout for us, Yuki-chan?" Kotori asked.

"Uh…did you know that all of you can fly here? You just need to believe that you can and you will fly…"

"Oh…" Kotori remained silent for a moment…

Then starting from Rin, they all began to float and fly in the air.

"You're right!" Kotori said.

"W-waah! This is so exciting-nya!" Rin said.

"Yeah!" Honoka excitedly flew around.

"U-uh…everyone…I think we should keep searching for the next door…" Hanayo said as she stared at the door that she immediately found as she floated up.

"Wait…. what about we search for the owner of this room and ask what's the deal with all these books, like…ask if she is some sort of a nerd?" Niko suggested.

"Eli-chan who owns this roooomm!" Honoka shouted immediately.

No response…

"I think we need to search for her…." Kotori said.

As they began to look around, Rin noticed someone sitting behind some stacks of books that was turned into some sort of a hidden cave. It's rather cute than embarrassing for her—she feels like she knows what needs to be done.

"Hehe…everyone! Why don't you all just go ahead? Me and Kayochin will do the searching-nya!" Rin said.

"Eh…? Sure?" Niko asked.

"Yeah-nya! Hehe…it will be faster if we split our team anyway! Hehe…" Rin replied.

"Alright then, we should move!" Honoka said.

"Ok! Take care-nya!" Rin said cheerfully.

Hanayo waved to the group as she watched them enter the door. Soon after the other group left, Rin beckoned to Hanayo and pointed to the cave that she found. They both smiled softly and nodded—agreeing to do what they can for the emotion who owns the room.

* * *

Nishikino Clinic;

"Hnngg….. Eve…don't you think they're taking a bit too long?" Lilith asked as she stared at the eight bodies placed around the room, posed like they were just tired from waiting for Eli to wake up.

"I'm a lot more worried about you, you know. Now you're in her wanted list…what could possibly happen to you if she found you, huh?"

"More kisses and sex maybe?" Lilith replied cheerfully.

"You clearly pissed her off! Goof head!"

"Oh, come on! What's wrong with literally being kissed in the ass?"

"It is wrong in so many levels because she is clearly married, idiot!"

"Well… she seemed to enjoy that one tongue kiss though and maybe she is just shy to admit it?"

"She was so close to cutting off your tongue!" Eve complained again.

"I'm ok with playing rough…" Lilith chuckled.

"That's not even 'playing rough'…. She is clearly trying to kill you!"

"Kill is such a sexy word for orgasm… no, actually, even spoon become a sexy word… you have heard of spooning, right?"

Eve sighed heavily.

"I'm so done with you…"

"I believe Nozomi will agree with me…I mean, if Eli somehow told Nozomi that she is going to kill her, I believe that she will offer her heart…"

"Are you being 'the wise sister' or some sort?"

"Eve, my dear sister…. I'm far from wise, you know… wise is when you can make a good judgment over something… but you have seen and you know that I always make poor choices."

"I was being sarcastic, silly…"

"It's ok, Eve, you can just admit your mistake…we should get to know each other some more—let's have a little sisterly fun…"

"No thanks… leave me alone…"

"So, would you like to get some balloon? Candies? Cakes?"

"Oh shut up…" Eve sighed heavily.

"Tsk-tsk, it's fine, Eve… Sometimes rejection is necessary to test the efforts of one being to find 'true love'"

"Sometimes you give me the urge to bang your head on the wall…"

"My wall isn't that tight anymore, you see? There are so many heads banging it… from finger sized head to a baseball bat size head."

"I don't even want to know what 'head' you're talking about…but really, you should worry about yourself and let these kids solve their problem. Hell, I think you should get outta here before those spirits find us and take away their bodies."

"Ahhh! You're right, Eve! I should head there and actually find Dai Mao—see if I can get his head to enter my wall!"

Eve once again sighed heavily.

"Sister….please…."

This time.

Nozomi has no idea of how she ended up to in another room instead of getting crushed from being devoured.

"Nozomi…" a familiar gentle voice called her from nearby and the purplenette quickly sat up and looked around. It didn't take her long to find the source of the voice—a nine tailed fox is talking to her right now.

"Ericchi…?"

"I'm glad you are awake… how do you feel?" she asked.

"Not bad. Where are we right now?"

"Apparently, we're now inside a merged soul… we were swallowed by it…"

"Ah….so…we're stuck here?"

"No, there's a way out. Remember what I told you? I can keep souls inside my soul and take it out any time."

"Right…so how we can get out?"

"It's simple but it needs to be done quickly before we run out of spirit and fully merge with her power."

Nozomi listened intently.

"….all we need to do is find the master soul—the brain of this soul…then next, we need to convince her to take us all out…or kill her…"

"You seem to know who the brain of this soul is…." Nozomi replied.

"I do… it must be one of emotions that was twisted by lies… I won't be able to kill them, but you should be able to…"

"Wait…killing her emotion sounds a little risky, don't you think?"

"Better than your spirit gradually being drained out— and if you happen to run out of your spirit, your soul will merge with her power… there won't be any way to take you out after that…."

"Will this harm her?"

"Maybe she will lose one emotion but fear not… it will be born again and she gets to return to her life until something triggers her to find that emotion…"

"I see…"

"But remember…our step is limited, kill the wrong emotion and the rest of them will be warned. If the brain knows, you'll be doomed while I will be stuck here forever…"

"How do we know the brain of this soul?"

"Honestly, I don't know who becomes this creature too… it just started to eat…and eat….and eat…then I was the only one who was able to communicate with her—stopping her from spitting her twisted lies to corrupt the rest of her emotions…."

"Do you know what happening out there right now without you?"

"I don't know… but this might be a bad sign for the rest of emotions. I hope Lust will be able to hold her too…she is the closest one with me…"

"Hmm…alright… but this is funny, I mean…for a lust to be close with someone who sounds as sane as you…"

"This realm is created much like how she presents herself. Coldness wasn't the person in the front room before… there were the others… then, Lust used to be the one who occupied in the deepest room…"

"Hmm…alright. So what other emotions do you remember being there…? Any idea who might become this creature?"

"I'm not quite sure to be honest, but I'm sure the suspects are the three emotions who used to be in the front rooms… they are Happiness, Worry, and Anger…"

"Hmm… from the name of the creature—the anxiety—I think it's obvious who the brain is…"

"Don't forget, Anger could be the candidate as well. Perhaps she is the one who drove the two emotions to rampage…"

"What about Happiness…? Do you think she can be the brain?"

"Honestly… I'm sure any of them can be the brain… you just need to find the exact reason…"

"Hmm..alright, I guess we just have to meet them anyway…."

"Yes…and remember, show no sign that you are trying to kill them…"

"Of course, I'll make sure of that!"

* * *

In the realm.

Yuki, Niko, Honoka and Kotori continued to move. This time, they reached a room with a pool of water which seems to have slightly receded recently.

The four of them kept silent and observed their surroundings. They could see someone cleaning up the room—or to be more specific, a specific blonde is cleaning up the room. Her eyes were swollen and her nose is red. It looked somewhat adorable but they couldn't say that because she clearly just finished crying.

"I believe in her…I believe in her…I really do…." the blonde said as she kept working.

"What's with her crying…does she even realize we're here…?" Niko asked quietly.

"This is probably sadness. It may be better if she can disappear on her own or we can ignore her too but, if there's any of you willing to help her disappear…" Yuki said.

"How can she disappear…?" Honoka asked.

"By making her feel the opposite emotion. It also works with the rest of emotion but, sometimes, it's better to let them be …"

"Hmm…I don't think having sadness is fine. Maybe we should cheer her up?" Honoka asked.

"Mm…I have to agree… being sad is fine, but to be sad until she can fill a pool with her tears is not fine…" Kotori said as she looked down at the pool of water.

"We're probably close to the center right now… maybe we should split again?" Yuki suggested.

"Ok!" Honoka and Kotori agreed.

"Huh..? That means there's only you and me left…" Niko said.

"We will do fine as long as you don't try to tick off whatever emotion is the next room…"

"Alright then… you too—don't tick her off!"

"From what I remember, I've never been good with getting anything heated…" Yuki said confidently as she and Niko walked towards the next door.

Kotori and Honoka looked at each other to confirm that they both are ready to work on what they think they should do.

"Eli-chan!" Honoka called her playfully.

The blonde turned to face them.

"Are you all here to save the real me…?" she asked immediately.

"Yep!" Kotori said.

"Then—please, instead of saving me, can you help Nozomi?"

"Hehe…I'm not that much worried about Nozomi. Niko-chan and Yuki-chan should be able to help her…what about you though? Do you need help with cleaning this room?" Kotori asked.

"Me….?" the sadness replied with her sad face.

"Yup! Hehe! We all care about you—so that's why….everyone is coming here to save the real you! We all split into groups to deal with each emotion!" Honoka said.

The sadness stared at them in awe and her sorrowful face eventually lightened up, yet her body also slightly faded at the same time.

"Well then, I'd be really happy if you two help me to clean this room until it's sparkling…!"

"Ok! Then that's set! We're helping you!"

* * *

Back inside the soul.

Nozomi and the nine-tailed fox searched through the place. They talked a bit as they moved around—apparently, being in that place is very risky and they need to keep their spirit up by keep talking to each other and feel nothing or at least be intrigued with their task. Some new information was given to Nozomi—now she knows that she is currently with Eli's wisdom and she explained how they split into many emotions.

Back then, they were all one soul. Eli was a cheerful and innocent girl who takes a lot of enjoyment from dancing and reading books. She not really good at socializing and she was often awkward when she had to do so. Eventually, the people she considered her friends called her weird.

This made her dream about being accepted, which led to her splitting her soul into many emotions with the hope that they won't get mixed up and screw up her attempts to socialize. But instead of being accepted, Eli was bashed and suspected of having a personality disorder. The constant bullying in her homeland gave birth to the anxiety creature. The actual source is still unknown but wisdom was sure that it was created because one of the emotions is tainted by lies.

It worsened when Eli reached her puberty and realized that she is into women instead, unlike how 'normal' women should be. She distanced herself from everyone and stayed in isolation. Wisdom also remembered that something else happened— Eli met someone specific, someone wearing a black dress whose appearance scared her. Perhaps it's the reason why Eli imagined her anxiety in such a way. The next thing that happened to Wisdom… she remembered dying and she witnessed nothing before the emotions began to rampage. Most importantly, wisdom also remembers that she was born again by the time Eli met Nozomi.

It has been such a long fight and it is finally time to decide. If they win this, they should be able to win the rest of the fight …but if they lose… then everything will be over for good.

"In all honesty, I'm glad that I met you. If my girlfriend wasn't able to see through me like this, I bet she will have left me and strengthened that creature…" Eli's wisdom said.

Nozomi giggled.

"You're praising me too much. There's also those kids too, you see?"

"I should also tell you that you are truly my Goddess. I am nothing without you and those kids won't reach me without your help."

"Now-now, shouldn't we keep our focus on what we need to do?"

"You're right. Hmm…I feel like someone is close by…"

They traveled and found themselves face to face with a specific blonde.

"Nozomi…." the blonde said furiously at her.

"This must be the anger…" Wisdom whispered.

Then before Nozomi was able to say anything, the blonde transformed into a nine-tailed fox and angrily jumped at her.

"Why on shattering earth you are here? Why did you risk your life to save me?!" she yelled so loudly. Nozomi remained silent.

"Anger! Control yourself!" Wisdom yelled.

The anger backed down, she is still growling at Nozomi.

"Listen, we're both trying to find the way out so just relax and support us if you think you can do it…"

"Why would I want to support someone who doesn't even listen to me? I told you to run away and look what happened to us all? If only you stayed and thought more about yourself!" the anger said as she pointed at Nozomi.

"Then we will all never be saved! Just accept this, will you?" Wisdom said.

"I won't accept this! This is bullshit! None of you respect my efforts to keep you safe!"

"Fine! Then just to shut up and help us look for the others!"

The anger sighed heavily.

"Fine, but I'm still pissed off by this…I'd kick you all out if I could!"

Nozomi remained silent, still observing the emotion she just met.

* * *

The Room after Sadness.

Niko and Yuki reached the room and they thought everything will be just like the previous rooms. They walked in and with the choice to ignore or speak with the emotion but, instead of walking on their own, they were both pulled in by an unknown force and were immediately tied to the wall with ropes.

"W-what the heck?!" Niko panicked.

"W-what's happening here?!" Yuki exclaimed.

"Welcome…" a sultry voice spoke.

"….to the room of love…." the voice continued—a woman with naughty tight leather suit appeared in front of them. She carried a whip and wore a pair of sexy looking high heels.

"EEEEEEPPP!" Yuki and Niko screeched in fear.

The blonde giggled.

"Now…isn't that rude of you to react like that?" she smiled.

"Hmm…?" she played with her whip in front of them.

"T-this is bad! Really bad! Yuki do something!" Niko said.

"I—I can't! You do something!" Yuki said in panic.

"Sheesh…you two— none of you will do anything, I'll be the one who will be do something here…." the blonde said with her sexy voice.

"G-gh! P…please… contain yourself—Eli!" Niko begged.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to kill anyone… we're just going to play a little game…"

"Ok! S-So let's play hide and seek?" Yuki said.

"Y-yeah!" Niko said.

"Hmmm…. Sounds fun, but… it doesn't involve anyone screaming or moaning in pleasure, so…." the lust smiled.

"Y-You can do that with Nozomi! Not us!" Niko said.

"Ohh… hm…. You're certainly right… Nozomi is so much sexier than both of you…"

"S-see? uh…We… are both planning to help her…so… just…let us go….?" Niko asked.

The lust giggled again.

"Alright…" she said before the rope loosened. Yuki and Niko quickly ran to the next door, trying to open it in their panic.

"But… I don't want to see any of you returning to this room without her…" the blonde continued.

"W-We know! We will do our best! Please let us pass!" Niko said.

"Ok!" the lust giggled again before the door opened immediately. The two ran away in such a hurry, leaving the room's door open as the amused emotion watched.

* * *

A little further away.

"Eliii-chaaaan! We're going to look for you again!" Rin shouted.

"L-Leave me alone!" a voice said.

"Hehe—a person in hiding shouldn't talk…" Hanayo said as she approached the place where the shy Eli hid.

"Y-you two are bullying me!" the blonde complained.

"No-no, we're not trying to do that. We just wanted to talk to you and be a friend—you were so quiet before!"

"I…is it ok to call me a friend? I'm bad…and…I'm awkward! I just don't have anything to offer as a friend!"

"Hehe, who cares about that-nya! Just play along with us! It's ok to look silly-nya!" Rin said as she quickly approached.

"Yep! All we need to think about is how to have fun with friends!"

"But…I don't know how to be fun—I'm just going to ruin everything….I'm just going to make everyone disappointed! So please… leave me alone!"

"It's ok! You don't have to be perfect! You will eventually learn! Have some courage-nya!"

"I believe Nozomi wanted you to do that too, right?"

"Nozomi… wanted me to hang out with you…?"

"Not quite—but to hang out with others and have some fun! Or at least, anything that would make you stop thinking badly about yourself!" Hanayo said.

"Yeah! You're cute-nya! So don't be afraid to try-nya!"

"Yep! I agree! You are cute! So please be brave!"

The shyness stare at them in awe then, when she smiled, her body began to fade.

"Ok! I'll try!" she said before her body faded completely.

"E-Eh…? Sh-she disappeared?" Hanayo said in surprise.

"Y-yeah-nya…" Rin was surprised as well.

The room began to fade as well, leaving them in a common hallway once again.

"Hey! Rin! Hanayo!" Maki's voice shouted from a distance. Rin and Hanayo turned to her.

"Maki-chan! Umi-chan" they called when they found the two standing a bit farther away.

They gathered together.

"Did the room just disappeared-nya?" Rin asked.

"Yes… it happened to Hatred too… she just suddenly disappeared while we fought." Umi replied.

"I wonder about the others…" Hanayo said.

"We saw coldness's room is still there, but we didn't want to take the risk so we're tried to look for the rest first."

"Maybe we should go to the next room and see if—…."

"Everyoneeee!" Honoka's voice heard from distance. It was so loud and everyone swears that their ear drums would pop if Honoka wasn't that far.

They waited for Honoka and Kotori to arrive.

"Hey, did you two see Eli's emotion disappear?" Maki asked.

"Yeah… and it happened because she felt the opposite emotion." Honoka replied.

"Oh…. so that means, we were somehow able make them feel the opposite… that's good, I guess…" Umi said.

"Sadness told us this: it may be good for the negative emotion to disappear since it may also weaken the anxiety. So…if we deal with all the negative emotions, we are helping whoever is currently dealing with her." Kotori said.

"Hmm… Then if that's the case, we may need to deal with coldness as well."

"Should we split the team again?" Honoka asked.

"I don't think we need to. Sadness told us that there are only two rooms left." Kotori said.

"Alright. Then we should do this quickly! I'm a little worried about Niko-chan, you know…" Maki said.

"Ooo—Maki-chan! I'm going to tell that to Niko-chan-nya!" Rin said.

"W-what? Why?"

* * *

Back inside the soul.

Nozomi, Rage, and Wisdom walked together to look for the next emotion. Both Wisdom and Nozomi could swear that rage can't keep quiet, though Nozomi decided to just stay silent as she listened to her ranting.

It's basically always about everything that happened in the past and the fact that Nozomi is here trying to save her. She doesn't care about anything else and, to be honest, it's kind of adorable to hear her ranting that way.

However, Wisdom seems pissed off and if not because Nozomi aren't complaining about it, she would have already beaten that emotion up herself.

When Rage finally stopped, she took a deep breath and spoke.

"Hah—you! Such an embarrassing emotion!" she pointed. Nozomi and Wisdom turned to where Rage was looking and found a scared nine-tailed fox whimpering and shaking as she sat in a dark corner.

"Hmm...this must be… Worry?" Nozomi said with a smile.

"N-Nozomi! W-Why are you here?! W-What if anything happens to you?!"

"Worry, please don't worry…" Nozomi chuckled.

"I-I'm too weak to protect you! I—I can't! I just can't and you should not have done this! Y-you could've lived a better life without me!"

"You worry too much, Worrying Ericchi…." Nozomi said again.

"…I can take care of myself…!"

"T-Th-There might be no way out of this place! Y-y-you have to kill the brain of this place to do so! B-But the brain is so strong and she has made this soul swallow a lot…!"

"Huh..? You're saying it like the brain is someone else outside this place…" Nozomi said.

"T-this soul is nothing but a puppet… the brain could be out there… th-that's why…there might be no way out if we have to kill the one outside this place."

"That means Coldness, Hatred, Shyness, Sadness, and Lust might be the brain as well…" Wisdom said.

"Ridiculous! Why on shattering earth would we want to kill each other this way?!" Rage said.

Once again, Nozomi took a note of those words.

"Why don't you ask to yourself about why on shattering earth you're ranting over the smallest problem?" Wisdom said.

"Look, someone isn't happy about this, you see? She wants us to live peacefully and be someone who isn't a many faced liar!"

"Yes, we know about that. That's why you should help us figure out who is responsible for messing up like this in the first place instead of yelling aimlessly!" Wisdom said.

"P-Please! Y-you two! D-Don't make it harder for Nozomi!" the Worry said.

This is another event that made Nozomi think about the emotions she met.

Wisdom sighed heavily..

"If only there's a way to make you all shut your ego and unite… we wouldn't be as messed up like this…"

* * *

The deepest room.

Niko and Yuki finally reached the last room, feeling relieved that they got away from the creepy emotion of Eli.

"That was…. scary…" Niko said.

"I never knew Kyuubi-chan is up for something like that…." Yuki said.

"Heh—well… I guess now we also know what kind of kinky world Nozomi and Eli have each days… I wish I never knew, though…" Niko said.

The two sighed softly before their eyes went to the dark and quiet creature in the middle of the room.

"W-whoa! A huge fox!" Niko exclaimed.

"Hmm…something doesn't feel right. She is looking at us but it doesn't feel like she's really looking at us…" Yuki said.

The two decided to try move a little closer but the creature didn't make any response or movement. A transparent barrier is still up around her and dark aura enveloped her soul.

"Heh—well, I'm glad she is not moving. We could be doomed if she does." Niko said.

"Hmm…Niko-chan, can you use your ability on her?"

"Huh? Well…I think I can definitely do that…but I'm not quite sure what I'm supposed to look for."

"Uh…well…what about you look into what happened an hour ago?"

"An hour ago…? Ok…." Niko replied before she attempted to channel her power towards the silent creature.

A few flashback showed up in Niko's vision: about how it began with a quarrel between two foxes which ended when the fox swallowed the other fox and Nozomi—who suddenly showed up and tried to stop them from fighting.

"W-what the heck?!" Niko exclaimed.

"W-what's wrong?!" Yuki asked.

"N-Nozomi is inside that creature!"

"W-what?!"

"C-Can we somehow take her out?!" Niko asked.

"I…If we're not too late, then perhaps we could! But…uh…." Yuki tried to think.

"Hmm… why does this creature feel like a puppet…" she continued.

"A puppet?"

"Yes… even though this creature is supposed to be the one born as anxiety, one who has its own mind, there's one soul or emotion that is driving this creature— 'the brain', We need to kill this soul or convince it to release its control. After that, the souls that can still be saved will come out and we can destroy this soul for good."

"Could the brain be anyone from before…?"

"Maybe. We need to make them think of the opposite and see if they disappeared. If they did, then they aren't the brain of this creature."

"Huh? They disappear…? Isn't that bad?"

"A soul isn't supposed to be separated like this… if they disappear, that's good because they will be returned to its original source."

"Huh…? Ok… then we need to make them somehow think of the opposite emotion, right?"

"Yes. Or we can just kill them straight… but killing them might cause them to make hatred stronger—or immortal. She may get furious… unless… someone else will decide."

"Someone else…? You mean…Nozomi?"

"Yes. If Kyuubi-chan truly loves her, whatever decision she makes, she will obey."

"Hmm… then… we probably need to play it safe, huh? Do you think you know how the brain should be like?"

"Not sure but, perhaps, it is someone who is trying to dominate over the other emotions and make them appear like a pet to them. This is honestly a bit complex and I suppose we have no other clue than that. We really need Nozomi-chan to understand this realm but, maybe for now, we can try to going back and ask some question to that nearest emotion?"

"Heh, you're right… Sheesh…why did she have to do this stupidity anyway? She could've waited for us…"

* * *

Inside the soul.

This time, along with Rage, Wisdom and Worry, Nozomi traveled around the place. She has lost track of time and, perhaps, she is already too scared to look at the time.

When she found the last emotion—Happiness— her hand began to feel nervous. This is pretty much the last emotion she needs to consider.

"Happiness…" Wisdom called.

"Ah—wis…." Happiness paused when her eyes met the purplenette. Then she stared at the other foxes who showed pretty much the name of their emotion with their facial expression.

"Nozomi…." Happiness said with a faint smile and, at the same time, her body seemed to fade a little.

"Ericchi…" Nozomi replied, bothered by the fact that she could see to the emotion continue to fade.

"What an idiot, disappearing at first sight! I knew that emotion is just too weak," Anger said.

Worry remained silent.

"D…Don't worry! I'm fine!" Happiness said to Nozomi.

 _You are not…._

Nozomi said in her mind as she watched Happiness begin to crumble and get absorbed into the ground.

"H-happiness! Wait! We just met and we need your help!" Wisdom said.

Happiness remained silent. Her smile remained as she gazed into Nozomi's eyes.

"Damn it…Nozomi! You can't let her get absorbed like that! Make your decision now!" Wisdom said.

Nozomi couldn't move since she is still trying her best to understand the whole thing and it is just happening so quickly.

"Nozomi! This might be bad for us! Do something!" Wisdom called her out again.

Still no response from the purplenette…

"Nozomi!"

Swiftly, Nozomi summoned a spiritual gun as her weapon and, without hesitation, she shot—

* * *

 **Who? Let me know about your guesses or theories! I always having fun reading it.**


	22. Ch22: The Judgement

**Hello-Hello!**

 **This time, i got help for editing by Lianacim14! Thanks to her LightRiver33 can focus on editing the Digimon!**

 **Thank you for reviews/comment/faves/follows!**

* * *

The Wisdom…

A shocking decision, even for Nozomi herself.

But she really knows—she really knows that the Wisdom is the brain of this place.

"N-Nozomi…. H-how could you…" the Wisdom said as she began to crumble by the time Happiness disappeared from their sight.

"At that time you met Anger, I felt like something was off about you…" Nozomi said.

Anger remained silent, due to shock, along with Worry who was cowering in her own spot…

"I realized it because of your own words, and perhaps also someone else's word?" Nozomi continued again.

Wisdom is trying her best to stand up on her feet…

"…you told me, one emotion is tainted by lies and became the creature that people call as anxiety…I could've been suspicious to other emotions, but… they're all just being true to themselves while you—were clearly trying to take control over them, just like what an anxiety do."

"I-I'm trying to take control…over them?"

"Yep… and this is also based by what the real Ericchi said to me…she said that she was being followed around…and then ended up being asked to be a pet for this creature… There's no one in her emotions that show their obsession to dominate more than you…even Lust who likes to be dominating doesn't show it as much as you…"

"H-hah…but…I truly have no idea about how that creature was created…you might be wrong… and… those two emotions next to you…might be the brain of this place."

"I don't believe that… plus, what you just said is clearly something that makes me even more assured that you are the tainted one. You're thinking about yourself… and that's not the Ericchi that I remember… even though I've told her that she might be doing things for herself… it was all just to make her change herself—after all, if she was told that people hates her because of who she is, she will mind nothing, but if she was told that she is actually harming people for her own ego, she will mind and try her best to do something to change that."

The wisdom remained silent, she seems to begin to accepting what done to her…

"….then ever since you called out Happiness to do something wrong as she faded…I just knew that you're the wrong one. Happiness was sad to see me here, just like how the rest of emotions were reacting to my presence in this place. While you kept worrying about how to unite these emotions back and thought nothing about me…"

"The truth is, there was never anything wrong with your emotions. they're all true to themselves while you—,the said to be wisdom, was trying to make them be not themselves… you are the one who created that creature so that you could take control over them... and you didn't even realize that this creature was just trying to make your wish comes true."

"My… wish…?"

"Yes… I also have always know that Ericchi's greatest wish is to be unborn—or something like that, she doesn't want to hurt anyone again and always thought that she will always be the one that needs to disappear to make peace and that wish…wasn't made from nothing…you know… it must be you—the Wisdom who created it, or should I call you as the Confidence? The Fear? Or whoever you truly are? Wisdom isn't an emotion, you know. That's why… I honestly think you need to be killed and let the new 'Wisdom' be born again…"

"Y-you want a new wisdom…?"

"Yes…a new wisdom would be nice…a wisdom that is born from the new and entire you… a wisdom that won't lead your emotions into a rampage when they feel rejected."

"So you think… we are messed up, because of me…?"

"Yep… and I truly think you need to be gone and let your eyes be open to the world now… not the world in your past…"

"Very well… I shall be…g-gone…." The Wisdom said before the whole places began to fade. Anger and Worry also started to crumble just like how Happiness and Wisdom did.

A bright light shines to her—she closes her eyes and…

* * *

The hallway,

"Hmm…I wonder where the room was… I swear it wasn't this far…." Niko said.

"….the thing is, I wonder if anyone reached there already and made her feel satisfied…? She'd probably be the lust after all…" Yuki said.

"Oiiii! Everyoneee!" Honoka called them out from a distance.

"Huh? They are finally here…" Niko said.

The two waited the group to approach them…

"Hehe—we just finished dealing with Coldness, she is no longer cold. We also tried our best to invite her to play with us…so what about the next room?" Honoka asked.

"We couldn't find the other room again, I thought you are the one who did her room…" Niko said.

"Nah—we don't even know what the next room is…" Maki said.

"You better not know…" Niko sighed.

"Should we check on the last room now?" Umi asked.

"I think we all should…" Hanayo said.

"We saw nothing but a creature last …there's a little situation… that we need to take care of, but eh, either way… Nozomi is in trouble and we need to somehow find this one last room…she might be the brain…"

"The…brain? What is it you're talking about?" Umi asked.

"Uh… well... the brain…the one who control the creature inside that last room….if we kill or convince her, we will be able to take out Nozomi from that creature…"

"You mean, Nozomi is swallowed?!" Umi said in her shock.

"Uh…yes…pretty much…" Niko replied.

"That's bad!" Umi said.

"But there's no more path we can travel, we've already got ourselves all the way from the entrance until here….perhaps she is inside the last room right now?" Hanayo said.

"Uhm…I don't know…but I guess, if we have no choice…we can try looking into that last room again?"

* * *

The Last Room,

It wasn't even an end to her. Her eyes set on the unmoving soul in front of her—dark aura still remained, her form is still that of a fox with nine tails…

 _What should I do next…?_

She asked to herself.

 _How much time do I have left….?_

She asked to herself again as she searched for her watch.

 _0 minutes._

It says.

 _What a let down…._

She smiled bitterly.

 _Even if I could do anything for this soul… she wouldn't be able to return to the living world by now…_

She said again to herself…

 _I could've listened to what that Lust said… I should've been more observant rather than acting without learning my ground…or…no…it should've been what Ericchi always reminds me to do…_

 _Now it's too late to undo this mistake… I couldn't finish this under 40 minutes…_

She bit her lips.

 _Ah…either way—it must hurt for her to stay like this… perhaps, I should make this soul finally be at peace…?_

She continued as she pointed her spiritual gun towards the fox soul which seems to not waking up in any minutes...

The shot is up close and immediate….

The bullet hits her head and in just a few second, the dark soul began to crumbles and fades…

The realm as well, it started to fade into lights…

"Nozomi-chan!" Shouted the girls who arrived in the room that has begun to crumble…

Nozomi turned herself around, looking at them with sheepish smile,

"Ah…everyone…. I'm glad you're here…" she said.

The girls remained silent as they started to look at each other—wondering what they should say to her.

"This place is…" Honoka pauses as she made everyone started to look around.

"Disappearing…?" Umi continued her words.

"H-hey…is this good or bad?" Maki asked to Yuki.

"This is good, in a way. This area is a place for they who died not peacefully or at least for they who aren't supposed to die. If a realm disappear, it either be them returning to life or they're now in peace and going to the light." Yuki replied.

"Oooh! That means, Eli-chan is—…!"

Before the excited Honoka about to finish her word…

"Let's go home, everyone! We shouldn't stay here too long!" Nozomi said with her forced fake smile—clearly trying to pretend to accept the result.

The girls once again are confused of what they should respond to that, but luckily, Maki and Niko does have an idea of why the purplenette suddenly tried so hard to fake her expression.

"This is troublesome, but I guess that's where our goal here is needed." Maki said.

"Hey…Nozomi, you're not—…"

"Talk later! Let's go home! Yuki please take us all back!" Nozomi cuts in through Niko's word.

The girls are still quiet while Yuki only gave them a smile before she fulfilled her request.

* * *

The temple, past midnight;

When the girls arrived to back the temple, they couldn't find their body around—and instead, Kagemi and a few souls seem to be busy looking for anything around the temple.

"Keep searching! There might be some clues of where they are!" Kagemi shouted to the souls that serve her.

Yuki giggled and approached her first,

"M'lady!" Yuki called her cheerfully.

Kagemi turned herself around,

"What's with that cheerful call on me? Can't you see we're getting out of hand now?"

"What is it that you need help with?" Yuki asked.

"A pair of unidentified creatures came here, one of them kissed me and took all my attention while the other one took all of your bodies away! Worse, none of my workers were able to stop them! They both flew away with the bodies!"

"W-wait…they took all of our body at once?! How?!" Niko said.

"How do they looked like?" Umi asked politely.

"Well, both of them have dark purple hair—similar faces like twins… I don't remember the short haired one that well, but the one with longer hair has tender lips and magnificent tongue technique…" Kagemi said with a slight blush on her face.

"Uh…do we need to hear that last detail?" Umi said awkwardly.

"Hm… somehow, I might know who they are. If it's true it's them, we should check on the clinic." Maki said.

"The clinic? You mean, your clinic?" Kagemi asked.

"Yes, exactly." Maki replied.

"Good, then you should all go ahead while I'm going to prepare to make some dealing with that long haired woman!"

The girls remained silent as they see Kagemi turning her back and quickly walks away from the place. All of her workers keep searching around—including Hanako and her familiars.

Nozomi had a slight anger in her eyes as she saw Kagemi—she believed that there are just a few things that she wanted to speak up to her considering that she knew her form so well, but at this time, she just couldn't say a single word. Her emotions are mixed up and she could break into a real crying soon.

Noticing the mix of emotion, Yuki wanted to talk about something to her, but…

"Girls, I think you all should go ahead to the clinic before a great war started!" Yuki said

"Oh! You're right! We all should!" Honoka said.

"Y-yeah! Let's talk about everything else after!" Kotori said before the girls except for Nozomi running and floating away to where they should be right now.

"Hehe…I know you'll be staying here." Yuki said to Nozomi.

Nozomi remained silent, her eyes still angry towards Kagemi…

"There's an explanation about why Kagemi was there to meet your girlfriend in the past…"

"I have already know a part of it, thanks…" Nozomi replied a little coldly.

"….but you haven't heard the whole story. Besides, it's in the past and you've seen it yourself that she has changed her mind." Yuki replied again.

"Will that change anything? Ericchi is getting in deep trouble because of her."

"…your girlfriend was born to have such an immense power, even if Lady Kagemi didn't do anything to her, she will still be in a trouble—and perhaps a bigger problem as well. So, I really think that it still her own duty to create her new wisdom, and perhaps your duty to help her grow."

"Can she even do that right now? She is no longer able to live."

"Hmm…if only you hear your friends out some more, maybe you will understand…"

"What do you mean…?" Nozomi asked again—still with a frown on her face.

"I think I have nothing to say before you turn yourself around—listen to your friends and go to where they want you to be and I'll be waiting for you to return here to make your complain if you have anything to complain."

Nozomi once again silenced, thinking if she should trust that…

"Hey! Nozomi! We don't have that much time! Let's go back!" Niko shouted.

The purplenette turned around to her friends. They all beckoned to Nozomi, inviting her to join them.

"Coming!" Nozomi replied to them—it wasn't a really cheerful tone, but at least she tried.

* * *

The Clinic,

"Done!" A playful woman raises both of her hands after she placed a paper bag on the soulless body of the girls.

"I don't know about this…sister… the jackpot wasn't quite the person I expect to be…and I think it's going to be twice dangerous than expected person…" Eve said.

"Well, a deal is a deal, we pull a number and their face is going to be painted…" Lilith said.

"If you think so—but hey, would you feel bad if somehow the jackpot girl isn't returning to life?"

"Nah—they all will make it, I'm sure! My sixth sense said so!"

"Alright, then next is about what you did to their clothes… are you sure….?"

"It will be fun, trust me! Plus, we can fix that at ease!"

"Huh? Okay, now I wonder if it will actually got them…"

Then as she said that, those girls soul went in to the room in a hurry.

"Hurry-hurry! Go back to our body!" Honoka said loudly.

"W-whooaaa! Who covered our face with paper bags?!" she continued.

"No time to think about that! Just go back!" Maki said.

The girls quickly returned to their body—or at least, to the body that they thought to be their body.

Just a few minutes passed before the souls gained their control on the body they went into…

"Haaah! Back to life!" A loud cheerful voice said by questionably Maki's body and voice as she opened her paper bag.

"H-huh!? How can I hear my own voice…!?" A somewhat snotty voice came out from questionably Kotori's body, except her voice is rather heavy than chirping like usual.

"W-whoa? Why do I sounds so snotty?!" A questionable Umi said still with paper bag on her head.

"I feel so light-nya!" the smallest girl with paper bag said.

"Heeeh—that voice is incredibly cute, but… why do I feel like my body is getting heavier?" said a questionable Hanayo's voice.

"N-Niko-chan?! Is that you!? Why are you in my body and why I'm in Honoka-chan's body?!" complained the questionable Honoka.

"This body feels weird but so much lighter than my usual, who own this body?" questionable Rin said politely.

The last girl didn't have her body swapped with anyone—and she seems to ignore the mess as well. She quickly headed to the patient bed to look at specific blonde, her body seems to be healthy and breathing…

It made Nozomi glad…but there's still something else she wanted to see….

The crowd behind her is still questioning the reason as to why they are having the strange phenomenon, Eve tried so hard to hold her laughter while Lilith already burst into a crazy laugh on her own.

Nozomi would care about that but it's just not the right time for her. She is still expecting the blonde to at least show that her soul is there—but for how high the level of spiritual she is at right now, she couldn't see any soul occupying the vessel…

She sighed heavily with a bitter smile…

 _Perhaps it's not about being able to or not being able to, perhaps… she doesn't want to return after all. I should've known that her peace is where she could stop living and perhaps it wasn't her tainted wisdom that decides that… it was just her…._

She thought…

 _Ah… I was such a fool to put my hopes up…_

She said to herself before she quickly ran away to leave the room.

"W-whoa! Nozomi-chan!" the questionable Maki said.

"Nozomi!" the rest of the girls called her as well before they headed to where Nozomi goes into.

Lilith immediately makes her move while Eve was watching the entire event from her seat.

By the time everyone left, Eve could see a faint light gathering slowly around the blonde vessel. The lights started to form a fox spirit which eventually entered the vessel…

Eve giggled,

"Someone is still a little too childish to wait for the right moment…" she whispered to herself.

Eli woke up—her head felt dizzy and the oxygen mask on her face was too loose to function and the pipe wassn't even connected to anywhere. Then some bright light spawned from her body—moving to Eve immediately. Eli noticed it but she had no idea of what that was…

"Welcome back… thanks for returning your borrowed time…"

"Excuse me…?"

"Never mind it, there was just a little magic happening… but either way, why don't you stand up and change? Your clothes should be in the drawer…"

It was still too vague for her, but Eli could not say anything as the woman may be right. She headed to the drawer, finding her clothes to be there along with the same green patient suit that she wears right now.

Only taking half a minute for her to change back, her soul could feel that she wasn't gripping herself strong enough on her vessel yet…alas, she felt like something is missing inside her—not that she minds too much about it. Her shoulder feels light and the world is somewhat giving a fresh look to her.

She feels like she is a new soul…

But she knows that she isn't quite a new soul…

She still has so many memories recorded in her mind and also realizing some happened while she was away in the realm…

"Say…do you happen to know where my friends are…?" Eli asked to Eve,

"They are just outside, if you really want to meet them, then you should. Perhaps you should also apologize that you were late to come back?"

"I have to say thanks to them as well, so… I should hurry myself."

"Sure, come back again to talk about your debt."

"Debt….? You mean, for this clinic?" Eli asked.

"Joking, you're still too serious. No one needs to pay for anything, this service is free of charge." Eve replied.

"I see. Then, thank you to you too."

"You're welcome…"

* * *

Outside,

The group is trying to catch up with Nozomi who ran so quickly through the obstacles. The purplenette is really sure that she needs to get herself home before she breaks into tears.

At the time she is close to reach the entrance of clinic, an unknown dark shade swiftly passes through her—then before she realized it, someone stood right in front of her—someone who's intentionally stepping on her way.

She bumped into the very person—both of them fell into the ground as they appear to be bouncing themselves.

It looked so silly, but it's not that Nozomi could feel like she should care about that. She is so close to stand up and run once more—but…

"Nozomi-chaan!" the girls quickly surrounded her as they caught up.

"Aahh…that bouncy boobs surely hits hard, should've not underestimated them!" Lilith said—she appears to be the person who intentionally stand in her way.

Nozomi doesn't want to look sad. She doesn't want to look weak. She tried so hard—too hard to appear fine. There was still no words nor complain that she could say out of her lips…

"Nozomi-chan, what's with you? Running away so sudden!" Questionable Maki said.

"Are you ok?" Questionable Umi said.

"Stop being an idiot and come back to that room now, maybe you just need to wait a little longer!" Questionable Hanayo said.

"W-whoa?! D-don't say that with my face!" Questionable Honoka said.

"Nozomi-chan, you're an idiot-ny-nyiko!" Questionable Niko said.

"O-oi! I know you are totally trying to copy me!" Questionable Hanayo protested.

"Uhm…shouldn't we all take off these paper bags for something like this?" Questionable Rin said politely as she took off her paper bag.

Nozomi would laugh if her feeling isn't as messy right now…. her friends are so dorky and are way too random. Maybe with time, she could move on…

But does she really need to move on right now?

When she turns around, she found someone specific walking closer to them—then stopped behind the group's crowd…

"Nozomi…." the gentle voice that instantly soothed the pain in Nozomi's heart…

The group turned themselves around and found the specific blonde standing behind them.

"W-whoaaa! Eli-chan!" Questionable Maki said.

"H-hey! S-Stop being excited especially if you are using my face—you made me looked like a fool!" Questionable Kotori said.

"Uh…didn't I sound a little cold?" Questionable Umi said.

"Shush! Shush! Everyone! Shush!" Questionable Hanayo said.

They made a path for Eli to approach the purplenette that was still sitting on the ground after her fall. Watched by Lilith who also still sitting just a meter away from her…

The blonde helped Nozomi to stand up, their eyes deeply stare into each other as their hands held each other's so gently.

"Ericchi…." Nozomi called her softly.

They exchanged their smiles before crashing into a very-very tight hug.

"Idiot! Why do you have to make me worry so much?! I thought you were not coming back!" the purplenette finally breaks into tears as she shouted—and muffled her own voice on Eli's shoulder.

The atmosphere suddenly becomes warm and some of the girls are touched by how it turns out for the two. Nozomi cried so hard while Eli remained silent, trying her best to find a good time to apologize, but….

"Now-now!" Lilith stood up quickly.

"Since we're on the happy end already!" she said.

The girls took all their attention to the playful woman.

"Let's open the paper bag and see who gets the jackpot!" Lilith said playfully.

The girls were wondering if they should do that—but they're curious anyway so they started to open everyone's paper bag…

One by one finally revealed their faces—nothing is wrong until the questionable Umi opened her paper bag….

"W-whoa?!" the questionable Maki exclaimed.

The questionable Umi has a lot of marker drawing on her face—from fake glasses, fake scars, and fake moustache…

"Wh-who did that to my face?!" Questionable Rin said.

"Of course—it's me!" Lilith said proudly.

"Y-Youuuuuu!" the questionable Rin quickly run up to her and…

"Aaahh! I'm getting hit!" Lilith said happily before she began to run away.

"I-is she always be that happy for being in trouble?" the questionable Kotori smirked.

"Good luck—Umi-chaaan!" the questionable Umi said.

"I…I don't know which one is weirder, to hear Umi cheering for Umi or to see Rin being like a furious tiger…" Questionable Hanayo said.

"Hey—you asshole jerkface! You're so ugly that I could vomit…!" Questionable Niko said to the questionable Maki.

"Oi-oi! You just want to make me look bad don't you?!" the questionable Hanayo said.

"Rin… we all know it's you, I'm not gonna let you off the hook once you're back to your real body." the questionable Kotori said.

"No-nya! I'm Niko-Niko-Nya!" the questionable Niko said.

The questionable Kotori sighed,

"Watch me stealing some underwear-niko!" the questionable Niko said before she ran off.

"W-What?! Hey! Waiit!" the questionable Hanayo said as she tried to run to catch up with her.

"W-whaaa?! I can run that fast?!" the questionable Honoka said.

Nozomi and Eli remained in their place, watching the humorous drama happened. They made a little distance but still hugging each other as their eyes went to each other—smiling and giggling together.

They would've kissed right now, but there are too many audiences to witness—so they decided to just bump their forehead gently.

* * *

A few weeks passed,

It wasn't the first or the second time for Honoka—the real Honoka to try to submit her idea to the student council—it has been the ninth time for her to do so and it's probably going to be rejected again if she wasn't making much progress compared to her previous proposal.

"Aaahh! Why is it so hard for Eli-chan to just accept my proposal?!" she whined to her two best friends,

"Well, she got a point. If you really want to make an idol group, you better know who will complete your needs and how you will do it." Umi said.

"Well, we got Maki-chan to be our musician—and to supply our medicine!"

"Thing is, Honoka-chan… I think it's not only about the music, there are still so many things that you need to consider—plus, we already have that idol research club… which is also our Ghost-Busting club… do you think we will have time to dance and singing as well?"

"Well, the dancing and singing should be intended for repelling evil gloomy spirit! We should make everyone happy so that they will never be an evil spirit!"

"T-that's kind of a straight forward thinking, I don't think she will accept that…" Umi commented.

"Aah—why are you two suddenly against me?!" Honoka pouts.

"Hehe… I'm supporting you, Honoka-chan! Just like before! But we really do need to put some thought into this so that Eli-chan will accept our proposal! That's why, let's not give up!"

"Ok then! Uh… what are the other reasons that we have?" Honoka started to think again.

"hey-hey-hey! Everyoneee! Niko-Niko is here to save your day!" Niko said as she enters along with Maki, Rin, and Hanayo.

"Aaah! Niko-chan! Good timing!" Honoka said cheerfully.

"Heh—you're still with those papers, are you getting rejected again?" Maki asked.

"Yeah… Eli-chan is so stingy!" Honoka said.

"Now–she might be able to hear that, you know…" Maki said.

"What's the problem this time though?" Hanayo asked.

"Uh… well, she just said that she still finds a lot of flaws in my plan…" Honoka said.

"Hmm...lack of examples perhaps?" Hanayo said.

"Uh…maybe? But I put on A-Rise as an example! Their school is popular and it seems to be not as horror as this school at night! I mean—it looked so glorious even at night!"

"W-what?! T-That one is too far high! Uh…wouldn't that be because of the building instead of the idols?"

"Well—you can sense the aura too, right-right?! It's like, even though there are some souls there, they seemed to be happy and all!"

"Uhm… you're right…." Hanayo replied.

"Then—should we just get ahead with more researching-nya?" Rin asked.

"Sure…!" Honoka replied cheerfully.

"Hehe… don't forget, we will have to take a short break later and discuss our plan to work on a few exorcising missions with Nozomi-chan!" Kotori said.

"Ah, right, there's that too! Hmm…we can be a professional ghost buster if we keep this up…" Umi said.

"Umi-chan, you look like you're really enjoying that instead of being an idol." Hanayo said.

"What can I say? The last mission where I had to fight a real samurai soul really got me, I wish I could find another soul like that again and fight him!" Umi said.

"T-That one was dangerous, Umi-chan!" Hanayo said.

"I'm not worried, Kotori got my back and a samurai will never try to kill their enemy when sparring!"

"T-that still dangerous, Umi-chan!" Hanayo said.

"Hehe… Umi-chan was right though, because of her—I can be much more of a support to everyone! I'm kind of enjoying it when Nozomi-chan has to fight that fire breathing soul!" Kotori said.

"Hn…I suppose you're right…." Hanayo said.

"Heh…I don't know if I should be surprised—this group really likes nerve wrecking experience…" Maki said.

"It's fun-nya! Especially that time when I turned into Niko-chan and started stealing underwear!" Rin said.

"I think you shouldn't do that one again…." Umi said with a heavy sigh at the end of her sentence.

"Aaaanyway… we should move on from that topic and start planning for the idols—you're all serious about this, right?!" Niko said.

"I am!" Honoka replied.

"Good!"

Then the group started to discuss again.

* * *

Just outside of the classroom,

Nozomi and Eli hid behind the wall, it's still unknown about how they weren't noticed at the time Niko, Maki, Rin and Hanayo entered the classroom, but either way, they've been very thorough about what they just listened to…

Eli finds what they said as something amusing—she has even been giggling on her own.

"What is it, Ericchi? You've been giggling…" Nozomi asked.

"No…it's nothing…."

"Hnnmm…you need to tell me or I might be jealous…" Nozomi said.

"Alright…well… I just find it funny that they're so worked up on what I tell them— I actually will let that happen if they somehow make a sample video, and let me post it on the internet to see how people will react to them…"

"So you want them to make a dummy video?"

"not quite… but a prototype… if they're proved to be interesting for the audiences, then I'll let that happen—but if they were made fun of, I rather not risk it and will forever reject their proposal…"

"So you want it to be non-official until it was proved to be interesting?"

"Sort of…" Eli replied.

"You should've said that to them!" Nozomi said.

"But it's funny to see them worked up like that!" Eli said.

"You're a vile sometime!" Nozomi playfully hits the blonde,

"It's a sign that they truly care about me…"

"Was what happened weeks-weeks-weeks ago not enough?" Nozomi pouts.

"Oh—There-there, don't be upset…"

"I'm not, I just want to make sure you remember that! We would go through that again but it would be better if you're not putting us there…."

"I won't, don't worry…" Eli chuckled,

"…I love you all too…" she continued with a wide smile.

Nozomi's frown turned into a soft smile,

"Well—I love you too… but…as for now… I want you to tell them what you want instead of making them going around like that…"

"Can that wait until they submitted this proposal?"

"Probably—but I'll make sure you're going to tell them what they need to do…"

"I'll do that, Honey…I promise…" the blonde replied.

Nozomi offered a pinky finger swear…

"Really Promise?"

The blonde smiled before she kisses her girlfriend's lips…

"Promise…." She replied as she answered her pinky finger swear.

"Should we go back to council room now? We have to pretend that we were never here…" Nozomi asked.

"For sure… it's just right above this room anyway…"

"Let's just walk—normally…Ericchi…."

"It just takes a second to jump from here…"

Then it was replied with a spank on Eli's butt...

"Ok—ok…I get it… we walk…normally…" the blonde said as she walks away with Nozomi behind her.

"Tch—You're also such a dork at times!"

"Will I still get a nice and fuzzy cuddle tonight for being a dork?"

"Are you even going to stay at my apartment tonight?"

"I don't mind if I have to clean up your bed in the morning too…"

"So it wasn't just a nice and fuzzy cuddle you're after?"

"There's certainly a pair of warm boobies and a delicious heaven's hole…"

"Heaven's hole?! Seriously, Ericchi?"

"It's better than fox nest…."

"But I was referring to yours, silly fox!"

"Alright, it's still better than Slippery-plug-in-port or juice-bottle…."

"That time, I had no idea how to give you a hint…so…. Let's not mention that again, ok? Plus, even with those awkward names, you were still clueless and actually cleaning up the plug-in-port in the council room and bought me a new juice— I also still remember that you bought orange juice!"

"Let's make it fair then— I just called yours a delicious heaven's hole…so are you going to bring me to a delicious heaven?"

"That's not even fair, Ericchi! It's just the same thing with what we're going to do tonight!"

* * *

 **As the two walks away,**

 **The souls around them are waiting for the right time to act.**

 **It's an endless adventure, but at least now they all have learned that life isn't about being perfect.**

 **It's all about to learn how to become someone who could accept themselves and they who wanted to be accepted. It is never wrong to be true to yourself—yet it's not wrong too when you hide some emotions so that the others won't be hurt by it.**

 **Let those who tells you to freeze your heart be a fading whisper…**

 **Let those who tell you to revenge be a fading whisper…**

 **Let those who tell you to stop loving yourself be a fading whisper…**

 **Let those who tells you to be isolated be a fading whisper…**

 **Let those who tell you to dominate over others be a fading whisper…**

 **And let your wisdom that makes you anxious be a fading whisper…**

 **It's time to change—it's time to stop listening to those fading whispers.**

 **Open your heart and be someone who listens and understands another's heart.**

 **Perhaps your world could be a better place to live before the end of time.**

* * *

 **-The End-**

* * *

 **There will be 2 extra chapters coming up!**

 **and oh! Credits!**

 **\- Love Live! School Idol project (Obviously!)**

 **\- Silent Hill**

 **\- Fatal Frame**

 **\- Fate series**

 **\- Japanese Folklore**

 **\- Gakkou no Kaidan (Ghost at School)**

 **\- Ghost Whisperer**

 **\- Persona Series**

 **\- and some other minor details!**


	23. EXTRA 1

**Alright, thanks to Lianacm14 for the edits!**

 **Thanks to you for reviews/comment/faves**

 **here are the Extra Chapters! hope you Enjoy it!**

* * *

 **EXTRA CHAPTER:**

Many years had passed,

The girls finally got their group name "µ's" during their high school years. The name was suggested by Nozomi and even though most of their spiritual activity is led by Nozomi, Honoka was the one who became the leader as she was the one who led them when they were becoming a school idol group.

High School were such busy years, but it's not that different with their university years. They might be no longer doing idol stuff—but they all had to do their own activity such as what they needed to do for their study.

µ's is still active on helping and exorcising souls, they made Nozomi's apartment as their headquarters as they all need to be hidden while doing their job. Sometimes they got a client that requested them to help stop the spiritual activity in their resident. From the doll that refuses to disappear from home to the book that causes nightmare and can't be burnt.

"What is it this time, Nozomi…?" Umi asked politely as she noticed that Nozomi has been busy with her phone, looking at her email account.

"Hmm…I just got a request—looks like it's from a kid… they even attached a picture of this creature…" Nozomi said.

"What's the mission is about…?" Kotori asked.

"He said—please help, there's a girl that standing in front of class and she just refused to move away, when I told everybody about her, no one can see her and they called me weird for that. I sent you this because I heard from a friend that if we ask the µ's to help this girl, she will disappear..." Nozomi read his letter.

"Hmm… that sounds like the common school kid problem…" Umi said.

"That sounds like Printemps job!" Honoka said.

"Ah—nice… I'm glad you're always up for this kind of task! It sounds like a boring job for me…" Nozomi said.

"Hehe—after all, we made small units for that, right?"

"Yup! I really enjoy the less violent job!" Hanayo said.

"Alright… so, let's see what we have next…." Nozomi said as she searched through her email again.

"….hmm… there's a job for sword museum—…."

"I'm up for that job…" Umi said immediately.

"Alright… Lily White is going to do that…" Nozomi said.

"W-wait-nya! What's exactly we're going to do-nya?!" Rin asked.

"Well, they just said that they don't really believe in us, but they wanted to try anyway. Their request is just to place the samurai soul back to their original sword because apparently, they've been possessing other thing such as… someone's coffee mug…someone's tea cup…. and make an appearance in the mirrors…."

"Uh… now that you said it, maybe they just want to have some nice drinks-nya?" Rin asked.

"Either way—I will challenge them all to a spar!" Umi said with full of energy.

"Hehe—Umi-chan is full of energy! That's charming!" Kotori said.

"What about us? Do we get any job?" Eli asked.

"Hehe—I think so, Ericchi. Hmm…what's the next job…" Nozomi searched through her email again.

"I hope it's not something to do with looking for a soul and match them with another soul again… It's so much trouble to convince them to go with the other soul since Eli is basically more attractive than the other soul…" Maki said.

"…or something to do with looking for a soul that hiding behind walls and roofs, Even though we did it anyway—it's still scary to watch Eli going here and there like an actual ghost…I demand something that can be done like how human should be!" Niko added.

"Hehe, don't worry-don't worry! This is going to be fun— the request is from a specific school occult club. They are challenging us to do the 7 mysteries of their school…"

"7 mysteries of their school? What an old fashioned mysteries…" Eli commented.

"What are those 7 though?" Maki asked,

"An ominous sound heard from the attic at midnight, a female singing in the pool, strange footprints on the courtyard, Bloody scratches appeared in the bathroom mirror, a classroom that appears only in the midnight, the missing statue that returned in 4:44 AM, then lastly, a dead person will show up if there's anyone who try to solve the mystery…."

"That sounds… dangerous…." Hanayo said.

"Hmm…sounds challenging…" Eli replied.

"T-that kind of mystery sounds a little too much, don't you think?" Niko said.

"What's that? Are you scared?" Maki said mockingly,

"N-No way! I just think that it sounded like a hoax…." Niko said.

"I can try to scout for the spiritual response to confirm these missions. If there's any that appears to be hoax, we will change our plan… the next discussion will be held this Saturday, is that alright?" Nozomi said.

"I guess…." Niko replied nervously.

"Ok!" Honoka replied followed by the rest of µ's

"But remember, none of you are going to skip any assignment, so make sure to do your own before the day!" Eli said.

"Yup! And next, we will talk about the details and probabilities!"

* * *

After everyone returned to their home,

Nozomi and Eli are left alone in the apartment. They tidy up the mess from the small dinner party after they finished their discussion.

"Aah—it's so frustrating that it is only Thursday…" Nozomi said as she sat on the bed —relaxing her muscles after the cleaning up task.

"Are you eager to do it?" Eli replied as she joined her.

"They all sounded fun, especially yours… but I guess since Umi-chan likes the sword museum better…."

"We can trade our place if you like…"

"Nah—it's fine, Ericchi… we're already perfectly effective this way…"

"Well then, what about placing Niko on your team while you join our team…"

"Poor Maki will have to be the third wheel…and we probably will go on a date instead of working…" Nozomi giggled.

"We've been an effective pair though…"

"I know—but no one should be left out …I want you to focus on taking care of others instead of focusing on me all the time…you already have me all for yourself during the night aside from the mission night."

"Fine…." Eli replied a little sadly as she pouts.

"My dear darling…." Nozomi giggled again.

"Stop pouting… if you're being sad—I'll feel bad…" she continued.

"I'm not pouting!"

"You are…"

Eli keeps pouting as she look away from her….

 _How adorable!_

Nozomi said in her mind as she looks deeper to the blonde haired girl gesture.

 _Well…at least she is actually an adorable clingy girlfriend…_

 _More cute pouts than actually angry like many-many-many years ago…_

 _I like this change…_

 _I like how she grew…_

… _.and I love how I—no… how 'we'… grew with her…._

 _Maybe it was hard at first, but we now all trust each other…and that's all that we need to keep this friendship alive…_

… _.while I might need extra work to keep this tall baby with us…._

Nozomi held Eli's shoulder—trying to have her attention,

"Ericchi…"she called her,

And Eli quickly turns herself around—kissing her deeply on her lips…

That was unexpected, Nozomi couldn't even think of why so sudden—but until Eli began to grab her shoulder as well, she started to understand…

"Sheesh, are you just trying to find my flaw and make me apologize to you by letting you doing 'that' to me?" Nozomi asked.

"Ah—so you know it after all!"

"You don't have to do that, you know, you can just—ask!"

"But if I just ask, there won't be any reason for me to punish you!"

"You're up to that 'roleplaying' again, huh? Still—you just need to ask!"

Eli giggled,

"Stop complaining, bad girl… let me punish you!" she said before she pulled Nozomi to the bed.

"W-wait-wait, Ericchi! Wrong way! I need to be the bottom if we're up for this!"

"Don't worry, I know plenty of ways to punish a girl…"

And the two continued their night passionately.

* * *

 **BONUS SCENE:**

* * *

The girls finished with their mission, which later they decided to gather back to the town's center…

"Hmmm…Printemps and Lily White are here… looks like we both made to finish is quicker than estimated time…" Umi said.

"Yeah-nya! We had a nice tea party, then Umi-chan fought all those old samurais at once and won-nya!"

"No…I'm not that good… I'm still not enough for them—they might be right that they just grew old and need more sparring to get their true strength back…" Umi said.

"Yep-yep, that's Lily White for you… what about Printemps, did you get to convince the girl?" Nozomi asked.

"Uh…well… we did, in the end. It was really troublesome at first because the girl died about a year ago, then she said she isn't going home before her mother came to pick her up. We asked her if she still remembers where her home is, she didn't tell us at first, but after Kotori-chan asked her to play with her at school, she was finally willing to tell us. We also got scolded because we're visiting her parent's home in the middle of the night, but luckily it was easy to convince their parents to come and pick her up. She went to the light after that….by her mother's will…" Honoka explained.

"W-waah! That's really touching-nya!" Rin said.

"Yep! I cried when I saw that!" Hanayo confirmed.

"So…did any of you know why she died?" Nozomi asked.

"Her mother told us that she was murdered by stranger. Her body was found in the school backyard. She blamed herself for that because, if she wasn't late to pick her up, she will never face that kind of tragedy…then, the girl told us to tell her mother—it's fine, she forgave her. She wants her to be happy…" Kotori explained.

"Aaah! That's so touching-nyaaa!" Rin said dramatically.

"I know, right?!" Hanayo added.

"Hmm…even though she was faced with a terrible fate, she still remained as an innocent soul and even a very forgiving person. That is indeed, a touching story. Good job, Printemps!" Nozomi appreciated.

"Hehe! I'm glad we did fine!" Honoka replied.

"I wonder where Eli and the others tough, why they seems to be taking so long?" Umi asked.

"Well, their mission is sort of difficult, but I'm not that worried, honestly… Ericchi will surely protect them…" Nozomi replied.

Just a moment after that, the group could see three girls walking to them, the three doesn't seem to be in a hurry, yet they looked like a very confused group. Just a little further from them, there is a large number of souls sneaking behind them. The aura doesn't look dark. It rather feels like affection…

"Uh….why are they bringing so many souls with them?" Hanayo asked.

"I don't know nya! They looked like they're confused-nya!" Rin said.

"Don't tell me…." Nozomi smirked,

"Oooi! Eli-chaaan! Maki-chaaaan! Niko-chaaaan!" Honoka shouted.

Eli, Niko, and Maki noticed them and they hurried themselves to approach them—still with the horde of souls following them.

"Oi! Nozomi…!" Niko shouted.

"Sup…?" Nozomi responded her,

"Are you sure these data is correct? We tried them all and there seems to be nothing there…" Niko said.

"Yeah, we tried to look around… I definitely hear something—and even the singing girl, but I can't find anything…." Maki replied.

"I do hear and sense their presence as well… but really, none of them are proved to be true…but… when I and Niko tried to read the history of their place, stuff like that is indeed used to happen—but it just didn't happen when we tried it!" Eli replied.

Nozomi would really say something, but how she could start explaining?

"Uh…maybe you all just need to turn around?" Kotori asked.

Eli, Maki and Niko turn themselves around— but the horde quickly sank down to the earth as if they're intentionally hides from them…

"Nope…nothing…" Eli said.

"Try to use your history reading now, Ericchi…" Nozomi said.

Eli nodded, then she is about to use it but—…

"Kyaaaa! She found uss!" the horde shows up so immediately.

"W-wha?!" Eli smirked at them.

"How precious! To be able to see a handsome Fox Girl this close!" The spirit says,

"We're noticed by senpai!" the spirit says.

"W-wait, who are they again?" Eli questioned.

"T...they are probably the ghost we've been looking for…these voices are very similar with the one that I heard…" Maki said.

"Kyaaaaaa! Maki-chan heard us! This feels like heaven!"

"W-wow….Is this sort of an after effect from our idol group?" Honoka asked.

"Oh yes! We love µ's! Sing for us too please!" the spirit said.

"No-no! Now it's time to run for our existence before the Evil Boobs Nozomi Toujou exorcises us all!"another spirit said.

"Excuse me?!" Nozomi seems to be pissed,

"Kyaaa!" the horde began to escape.

"Hey! Come back here all of you!" Nozomi ran to chase them.

"W-wait! Nozomi-chaaan! Wait for us-nyaaa!" Rin shouted before she decided to join her, followed by the rest of members except for Eli, Niko, and Maki…

"Hmm…Evil Boobs… what did her boobs do?" Eli mumbled to herself.

"A-are you an idiot?! Her breast can't be doing anything!" Maki complained.

"Well…I think they got a point, being big is a crime for boobs…"

"W-what?!" Maki smirked to her friends.

"But it's a very decent size, I like it!" Eli replied.

"E-Eli! I thought you're supposed to be more serious than that!" Maki complained.

"I'm serious though…besides, mine wasn't that far size than her…" Eli replied again.

Maki sighed heavily.

"I'm so done trying to convince this group to be a little smarter…"

"Not that you're any smarter, remember the time you ate a rotten tomato that we found in a mission?" Niko said.

"Sh-Shut up!"

* * *

 **THE END**

* * *

 **Another Extra will make up for the short one!**


	24. EXTRA 2

**Here is the next one!**

 **Note: This is also a mix with The Revenant of Justice, if you haven't read them you might want to do it!**

* * *

That night,

Nozomi and Eli are on their way to the supermarket to get some groceries. They hold their hands together to keep themselves warm in the cold winter. Eli with her white fur jacket and Nozomi with her black fur jacket, both are wearing dark colored jeans and cute colored sweater.

"It's been a few years now, I kind of miss universities. Working isn't as great as what I expected to be." Nozomi said.

"Surely, you are taking a little too much effort on your job." Eli replied.

"Speak for yourself, Miss Work-all-day-for-the-win." The purplenette replied with a cute pout.

"There, Nozomi, shouldn't we remind each other? I just did that to you." The blonde replied with a playful smile.

"You are, but seriously, Ericchi. The time when I told you to change, it's not for you to change into a big bully, especially to your cute girlfriend!"

"I need to satisfy my hunger of affection, honey."

"How much time I have to tell you to just ask for it?"

"It's much more fun when we hint."

Nozomi rolled her eyes.

"Impossible, you're really impossible!" she said.

"I never mind when you are messing with me." The blonde replied with a giggle.

"Well I don't mind too, but you're overdoing it! Who in shattering earth buy her girlfriend some kinky edible undergarment and told her to strip and dance in it!"

"Someone who want to have some delicious and sexy fun?"

"You shouldn't answer that, silly fox!"

"Sometime I think you're a spoiled lover. You keep making me dance while you just sit there and watching me awkwardly." The purplenette continued still with a pout on her face.

"It's not awkward, you know. I'm enjoying it."

"It is awkward for me! You're really impossible, Ericchi!"

"Well then, what about this, you buy me some sexy clothes, then I'll dance for you."

"I would love that! Serve me for a night, make me blush and weak on my knees. If I didn't laugh at you for an hour, then you win."

"What? Is this a competition now?"

"It's a challenge, Ericchi, I know you are always making an awkward idea whenever we have our intimate time. You never put that serious face anymore and I miss it."

"Now, that's a little bit too much, Nozomi. I barely remember how is 'serious' in your term!"

"The Lust! I want you to act like that again! Not the childish Ericchi who makes me do all the sexy work and touch me after!"

"You don't like my touch?"

"I love your touch! But I need to satisfy my love of being dominated, I need a role play, that's all!"

"Hnng…. I need to awaken that emotion again. Maybe it will take some time…." Eli said.

"I don't mind if you're taking your time, as long as you really can make me weak to my knees, blush as red as I was, or being as happy as how I was doing it with your Lust. I need that thrill so bad!"

The two stopped their ' _adult_ ' conversation as they enter the supermarket.

"Well, what about salmon for dinner, Nozomi?" the blonde woman started another topic.

"Sure, a little change on our menu would be nice."

"Salmon salad."

"Sounds good, I can help you with cutting the veggies."

"Then, what do you want for morning?" The blonde asked with her gentle voice.

"Hmm, I think Hanayo-chan told me about her new favorite menu of breakfast yesterday. Rice Burger."

"Alright, I can make that one easily. I'll go get some salmon, you get the veggies."

"No problem." Nozomi replied before she watched her darling leave for the seafood section. She turn herself and head to the vegetable section which is pretty far away from the seafood section. They took each of their own shopping basket.

The supermarket isn't small, it's very big and truth to be told, anyone who are new can be lost in it. Honestly, Nozomi isn't that good on mapping her way to the vegetable section. She need some time to memorize the exact place of that specific section.

She has to go around a little and pretend to browse around in order to make her flaw less-visible. Then when her eyes find the section she headed there and began to search for the vegetables.

It took a while for them to pick. Vegetables has to be in a specific condition to be healthy and fresh. The flawless one looks good, but without a few bug bitten part, it suspiciously may contain a pesticide. But, too much bug bitten may also mean that it's rotten or contain some living bugs in it.

Other than the greens, Nozomi also decided to get some tomatoes—which hilariously reminded her of that one specific friend. She smiled faintly as she picks them, then search for the sweet and woody scent, checking for any part that may be too squishy, and comparing its color to the rest of them.

Lastly, she began to search for additional veggies or fruits that may fit with the taste of salmon. Though, before she was able to move to another section…

A tall blonde woman, with that specific icy blue eyes and pale skin, with that one specific white fur jacket, that specific sweater and that specific dark jeans, standing in front of her. Her face is exactly the face she always knew, except, something feel different. Her aura, her charisma, and her expression are not the same one with the one she always knew.

There's a sexy atmosphere when she stood and gazing at her, but it's not quite the same sexy that she knew. It's not even the same sexy with that one emotion she met.

Trying to not risk of mistaking this person with her girlfriend, she decided to ignore and continue searching for her vegetables. This person didn't move from her place and instead, she is watching her very quietly.

For a few minutes, Nozomi began to feel uneasy. Something is definitely wrong with that one specific blonde. When she remembered how their eyes met, there's a feeling that overwhelming her. It's like a feeling of desire, a feeling of getting dominated, and an unknown feeling that makes her heart racing so fast.

 _This person isn't a human being._

She thought.

 _Well, she is a fox. I always knew that._

She thought again.

But something is different, very-very different and she don't know how to describe this differences. Nozomi decided to continue shopping to wherever she find to be interesting. The chocolate section perhaps? See if this person eyes sparkles as she saw it—if this person follows her anyway.

Walking through the sweets and snacks section, Nozomi could see that the person she somewhat knew followed her. There's no difference from the way she walk or the way she dress. Alas, anyone will identify her as the same person who walked with her before.

She stopped at the milk-chocolate rack, pretending to be browsing and reading the prices attached.

"You're going to get me some?" the specific blonde said—with the exact voice she knew.

She is not mistaken.

This is her girlfriend. But… is she really?

"Yes, which one do you like?" Nozomi replied.

"Milk Chocolate, with almonds please." The blonde replied.

Exactly the one that always been her favorite.

"That's rare of you, I thought you always prefer the bitter one?" Nozomi replied.

"I thought you knew that I love all chocolates, I may change my preference from time to time." She replied.

Smart. Nozomi couldn't outwit that statement. Hell, that would be what her girlfriend says too!

"Well then, I'll go pick the small one for you." Nozomi said before she hovered her hand to the small chocolate bar with the brand that Eli dislikes.

The blonde suddenly grab her hand,

"I thought you knew that brand is too sugary and I don't like it."

Then hovering it to the brand she always love.

"This one is better."

The blonde continued with a very gentle and charming voice whispered to her ear.

 _Is this her response to what I asked her…?_

Nozomi thought in her mind.

 _She is overdoing it again. My heart is racing so fast. This woman is too…_

She could feel her knee began to weaken as her eyes gazes longer to the enchanting icy blue eyes.

 _Beautiful…_

She continued with her blood rushing up to her cheek.

"Ericchi…" she called her softly.

"Yes… Honey…?" The blonde replied.

That's a calling that she always use as well. This is scary,

Nozomi doesn't know if she truly is talking to her girlfriend right now. She is too…

Someone else…

"Are you really my Ericchi?" she asked.

"Am I really yours?" The blonde gave her the most charming naughty smile she ever see.

"What about you? Are you really mine?" she asked her back with a whisper.

The pale white cold hand reached down to her waist very carefully.

"Cold…" Nozomi said, her voice has weakened by a strange atmosphere that emitted around the blonde.

 _Something is really wrong._

She said to herself as she feels like she is about to collapse.

"There, you're not supposed to fall asleep here, why don't we go home now?" the blonde asked.

"But… the groceries…?" Nozomi asked with the weakest voice she ever made.

"Why are you worrying about something that I can handle?" the blonde said seductively as she brushes her hand slowly against her waist down to her groin.

Nozomi couldn't respond. She is too weak to speak. Again, it may be her gaze that drain all of her energies.

"Take a seat outside, I'll handle the groceries." The blonde said.

Nozomi nods and she couldn't even keep her eyes open at the very moment.

* * *

 _I am…_

 _The Empress of the Underworld…_

A beautiful voice spoke to her mind. She knew this voice very well, but the one she knew is not even the Empress of the Underworld. Kagemi, is the empress of underworld that she knows, not her dear.

 _I came from another Universe…_

 _To see you…_

The voice continued.

Another universe? It doesn't make any sense to her ear. Unless, it's just like what a weird woman said before. Who was her name again?

Lilith Faith?

 _Such a beautiful woman. A worthy candidate of a wife._

 _I'd wed you if I could._

 _Then, your womb shall be bearing my child._

Nozomi can't respond to that sentence. It's honestly would be the most disgusting sentence she ever heard, but then didn't she say… she was The Empress of the Underworld? Not an Emperor? Why did she said that she will make her pregnant?

This is weird.

She has never-ever seen this kind of spirit in her entire life time.

Such a powerful soul, she can't even fight back.

What's happening to her?

Where's her true lover?

 _It's sad, I'm a married woman._

 _I'm very loyal to my dearest wife too._

 _I can't have you._

 _You're not mine…_

 _And I'm not yours…_

Nozomi remained quiet, not a single muscle nor her soul be able to move.

 _But, why don't we play a little game?_

 _Just for tonight?_

The purplenette feel her energy began to regenerate.

 _Just you and me,_

 _In Magic, Madness, Heaven, and Sin…_

The voice continued again.

Still doesn't make sense to her.

Who is this person who have the same voice, the same face, the same favorite, and the same style?

* * *

She woke up in her room,

Right on top of her bed and her body feel aching everywhere. It's like she hasn't got enough sleep before she forced herself to wake up. She sighted the sky through her windows— it's still dark and the stars shines brighter than usual.

"Lovely, isn't it?" her girlfriend's voice come from the door.

The mysterious blonde walked to her with a cup of milk on a tray along with a bowl of unknown candy and a bowl full of dried meats.

Alas, Nozomi always show her love for Yakiniku to her girlfriend, but, she has never ever told her about this sinful snack that she love so much. It's so greasy and crunchy, anyone will gain weight from eating them.

"You look pale, honey. Is something wrong?" the blonde asked, her voice is somewhat very seductive.

"N-No…." Nozomi replied. Her voice has returned to her, but her eyes still see the different atmosphere from the mysterious blonde.

It makes her feel very nervous. It's like she just met her for the very first time.

"Did I… faint—yesterday?" Nozomi asked.

"Sort of…" the blonde replied.

Even her short reply sounds so different despite the same voice.

"I'm sorry, I could've helped you with the groceries."

"No problem, I've got a strong body to carry you and the groceries." The blonde replied very gently as she placed the tray. For the first time she see the unknown candy in much closer range, she could see a strange aura enveloping it. It's like the candy is created with some unusual ingredients.

"Are you interested in those candies?" the mysterious blonde asked her.

"What are those made of?" Nozomi asked.

"Something you shouldn't eat. I'm not going to let you eat that, not a single bit. It's mine." Eli replied.

Despite the warning, Nozomi decided to pick one and curiously staring at it in so much closer range.

She can smell the scent of flesh and blood, but still having no idea of what it exactly is. She is about to put one in her mouth, but.

 _No! Don't eat me!_

An unknown voice heard from the candy—which Nozomi quickly throw away.

The candy fell to the floor, rolling towards the corner and stopped near the feet of her drawer. The mysterious blonde picks it up and blowing a soft wind from her lips before eating it.

"Humans aren't meant to eat each other, even though they can have the guts to ignore one's prayer." She said.

From that sentence, Nozomi began to feel so much more uneasy. Something is definitely out of place and she needs to clear this up for good.

"Who are you?" The Purplenette asked with a frown on her face.

"Me? I'm Ayase Eli…" she replied.

"No, you are someone else…" Nozomi replied.

"I never told you that I'm your Ayase Eli. I belong to Toujou Nozomi…"

"Are you trying to outwit me now?"

"Certainly not, my wife name is Toujou Nozomi. You can't blame me or her for having the same name."

Nozomi tried to process what she just said.

Could it be related to what the voice told her before…?

Someone who told her that she is the underworld Empress from another universe.

Coming for her to play a game.

A game of magic, madness, heaven, and sins.

What are they exactly?

"The Empress of Underworld." Nozomi said.

"Yes?" the blonde replied with a mischievous smile.

"What is this game you wanted to play?"

"Hmmm…. Eager to go into the climax, huh?" the blonde took the bowl of unknown candy and started to eat it.

"We shouldn't be in a hurry. You need extra preparation." She continued.

"Whatever do you mean?" Nozomi frown deeper at her.

"Don't you want to kiss me?" the blonde replied with her most charming gentle and sultry voice.

"Even though you look like her and act like her, I'm very sure you're not my girlfriend. Plus, you said it yourself, you are married. You can't have me and I can't have you." The purplenette replied surely.

"Harasho!" the blonde said amusedly.

 _This is really weird. That would be what Eli said too when she gets over excited._

Nozomi said in her mind.

"You're just good in pretending, aren't you?" Nozomi said a little furiously.

"Pretending? Do I look like pretending to you?" The blonde asked.

"Yes, show your true self!" Nozomi said surely,

"Very well then…" The blonde giggled before she ate all the unknown candies in the bowl at once,

She smiled before a red blood suddenly drips out of her lips—which she licks tentatively before her body began to grow taller, then her head grow a pair of big horns while her back grow a pair of huge bat-like wings, then a thick fur robe appeared out of nowhere, covering the dark blue nobility suit. Her eyes shines brighter and her fangs grow slightly longer. Her hair, faces, and body shape remained the same though.

"A… vampire?" Nozomi squints her eyes.

"Is it because my fangs are longer?" her voice remained the same as well.

"What are you? I have never seen a creature like—…" As the emerald eyes met the azure, she is silent.

A creature that somehow charms her at the line of sight. It certainly is a vampire, but those horns and those wings…

Are those really what a vampire have?

A different type of vampire?

"I'm… a succubus. An Empress of my kind, not a mere occults." The blonde said.

"Your name, tell me your name. You can't be having the same name as her when you have all that similarities with her. The Ericchi that I know is a Yokai—a Phantom, not a demon."

"I told you, my name is Ayase Eli."

"You're making me angry." Nozomi prepared her spiritual fires.

"Hmmm…? You want to fight me for that?" the blonde said mockingly.

"Yes, any problem?"

"That will be worthless, none of your magic or whatsoever power will touch me."

And before she knew it, Nozomi pulled her fist and blasted a huge spiritual fire to her. Despite her being able to surprise attack the blonde, her fire can't penetrate through the thick shield that surrounds the demon.

Nozomi tried to cast even harder, yet still nothing can penetrate through it, not even a bit.

"There, honey, I told you, you can't touch me with magic. I'm not an Empress for nothing, you know."

The Purplenette stopped, yet her eyes still furious towards this specific blonde.

"Fine, at least tell me where my Ericchi is."

"She is save in my wife's hand… or so I think" The blonde replied.

"Your wife…? Toujou Nozomi…?" Nozomi said somewhat mockingly.

"Exactly. Or should I call her Ayase Nozomi? She is my wife after all."

"And where is this wife you are talking about?"

"They should be somewhere. After all, our purpose here is to play a game, not a worthless fight. But sheesh, really, why are you so different than I expect? I have never remember my wife to be this furious against me. She always obey me!"

"Because, I'm not your wife!"

"You're just unhappy. There must be still something that you miss. The balance in intimacy perhaps? Or the unity? Or perhaps because your darling is an idiot? I knew that my wife called me idiot from time to time."

"Well, there certainly is something between us, but I'm not going to let you put your hands in our business. We will solve this on our own!"

"Of course, I didn't plan to touch your problem."

"So, which love hotel they are in? I'm taking her home." Nozomi said with mocking tone.

"I wouldn't know! I swear. My wife is so random at times and you can't tell her what to do. Let her loose and she won't be coming back unless she needs me to get rid of her wild side."

"I don't remember to be that extreme. So, I'm going to search for her now. Later!" Nozomi said before she headed to the door.

"Nozomi!" the blonde called her, though the girl decided to ignore that call and keep moving. The demon sighed,

"Now, you just acted like her there. Except that's when she lost contact with her kids…" she said as she raised one of her eyebrow.

"Wait, come to think of it… could she be…?"

The blonde remained silent for a moment before she nods and started to follow the purplenette.

* * *

Meanwhile,

"I don't know, Nozomi, I don't think I have ever seen any kid that looked like that. I have seen a few demons that looked like that though." Eli replied to the purplenette that currently be with her. They walked through the quiet town park.

"Really? Are you sure you have never seen any kid with blonde hair and a small pair of horns? She got your eyes, you know. Her name is Aria, she likes playing tarot cards like me and she usually wears side braid."

"Did you happen to meet this kid and interested on getting to know her?"

"Hmmm… sort of? Honestly, I just wanted to have a little talk with her and take her to where she belongs to."

"Do you want to call our group for that case?"

"Uh… not really, I rather have a private time with you. We have never done this lately, right?"

"Alright, what about. Let's go back to apartment and place our groceries there? I'm worried about the salmon." Eli said.

"Sure, we can't let that rot." The purplenette hold Eli's hand, about to pull her, though the blonde swiftly fades before her.

"Ericchi…?" Nozomi called her,

"No offense, but you smell like a dog all so sudden." Eli suddenly reappeared behind the purplenette.

The purplenette remained silent, now she knew her disguise isn't fully covering her scent.

"You didn't smell like this before and your aura looks so different too. Do you happen to have a demon blood flowing in you?" Eli asked again.

The purplenette began to worry.

"You see, I never really cared about what others do to me, but if anyone harms my girlfriend…" The blonde grip her hand strongly onto the purplenette.

The purplenette's heart began to beat so fast. She is agitated and she can feel her mind began to be overwhelmed by the fear of having her disguise undone. She can't go back without her lover's magic, alas, her specific part will be revealed and it will cause a real question.

She never knew how strong the Eli in this universe is, but she knows that she probably can outwit her somehow.

This is really bad for her.

What should she do?

"E-Ericchi, I need to go to the restroom." The purplenette said before she quickly shoved the blonde gently, though her wrist is still held and she can't possibly show her immersive strength or she might be even more suspicious.

"You're not going anywhere before you tell me where my girlfriend is." Eli said coldly.

She is worried,

Very worried.

What can she do?

What possibly can be done?

Her disguise is going to be unveiled,

She will be known.

She will be hated,

And her mission will fail.

As her mind overwhelmed with worries, the moon light behind the dark clouds began to shine brighter. It's like a calling has made and her fate is sealed under the full moon. Her energy raises and she can feel her body began to react.

"No! Ericchi! Can you…. absorb my power, somehow?! Just any way works! Take my power! Please!" the purplenette asked in panic.

"W-what?" Eli flustered.

"I'm… I'm turning into something you don't want to see, it will be dangerous, it will be really bad. So please, don't let this darkness win over me! Hurry!" the purplenette begged.

Eli—having no choice, pulling the girl closer to her and grabbing onto her neck, roughly pushing onto her soul and drain her power through her gaze. Though, something is definitely wrong with the soul she absorbs. It's very dark and mysterious to her, she barely understand what it exactly is.

The Blonde devoured her power, she took it by her force but now she doesn't know how to control the flows that run through her. The purplenette fell down as her neck was being released. Least there's another power she still keep—the demon blood.

The magic upon the purplenette dispelled, her head grow a pair of horns and her back with a pair of giant bat-like wings.

"Oh dear, that didn't go properly…" the purplenette said as she cringed to the blonde who is now trying so hard to hold the soul she just took.

"Ericchi! Are you ok?" she quickly approach the blonde, though she was pushed away.

"What kind of power is this…? I feel like crushing anything around me."

"T-That's my precious power! You have to give it back, you can't control it!" the purplenette said.

"Nozomi… are you really Nozomi?"

"I… I am! But I'm not the same Nozomi you knew! I'm from another universe and I'm here to look for my daughter. I was trying to trick you to help me find her and since I can't really explain about my existence, I had to make your Nozomi to go with my Ericchi. I didn't tell my real purpose to my Ericchi either! She never knew about that one last daughter!"

"Could've just said that before, nothing is too bizarre for us, we have dealt plenty of—….urgh!"

"Ah! G-Give it back, Ericchi! You did it wrong when I told you to take my power!"

"I'm fine. I can handle this! As long as I keep it within my soul, I can endure it. It's just… going to take some time to seal it….this power is too… powerful." the blonde said.

"I told you, that's my treasured power! You have to give it back!" the purplenette said.

"I will, but not when you have your mission here. I'm not going to let you go around with this power. Let's just say this as a warranty."

"Stubborn! But fine, if you said that so! When that power trying to overwhelm you and you feel like transforming into something else, tell me, ok?"

"Hah—what you can do with it?"

"I'm a succubus, a queen in our kind too, I'm very capable of transferring power."

"A demon queen…?"

"Yes, like what you've felt before."

"Alright… so…hngh…" the blonde looks somewhat stable.

That's very impressive for the purplenette, there never be anyone who's capable of holding that power other than her.

"Where can we start looking, queen Nozomi?" Eli asked as she stretched her body and acted like nothing happened before. The demon queen smiled, a bright blush appeared on her cheek,

"Why don't we start with a little preparation? I'm sure you need to stabilize your power a bit." She said somewhat seductively.

"Prepa…ration?" Eli took the hint, but she isn't sure of what exactly it means.

"Despite you being not my Ericchi, I got the feeling that you're doing something different than my very proficient lover. I want to see your might, can you show me?" the purplenette said in a very-very sultry voice.

Now, the blonde can feel the lust has somewhat awakened within her. She have never seen her real girlfriend do that to her. Maybe she did, but not in that super-sultry voice that tickles her ears and race her heartbeat.

"Where's your apartment? We need to place our groceries as well, right?" the demon queen asked again in her sultry voice,

"I live together with Nozomi, it's not safe to do it there."

"Hmmm… you're certainly right. My Ericchi might be there too, but you're a phantom, right? Is that what you are? I only heard it from a friend of mine, but either way, can you place those groceries in your apartment? We can go to the inn, or to any private place."

"Certainly! Please wait for me!" Eli replied before she ran excitedly and disappeared with her groceries.

"Now-now, that dork is so cute, just like her. I wonder how awkward she can be during intimacy?" the purplenette whispered to herself.

"…but, I need to make sure that I keep myself on track. Hmm… where could she be…?"

* * *

At the other part of the town,

"Ariaaa!" shouted a purple haired female teenager with blue eyes. She has a romantic gaze and long straight hair.

"Aria!" A blonde male teenager with muscular body and attractive face shouted.

The two walked through the town,

"Haaah—this is so troublesome, we shouldn't have let her saw what we did." The purplenette said.

"Don't worry, sister, I got your back!" the male said.

"Haaaaaah…. Yuki, you shouldn't say that if we're only about to be scolded together."

"At least we are together…"

"No, you silly boy. It's not cool."

Then as the two stopped near a museum. They could see three familiar girls standing near it. One with ginger hair, second with ash brown hair, then the third with deep blue hair.

"Y-Yuki, aren't they….?!"

"Not mistakenly them!" the blonde boy quickly ran to the trio.

"Yuuuuki! Waaait!" she is too late to shout and she decided to follow up anyway.

The trio turned themselves to the blonde man, wondering what exactly he is doing there,

"Honoka-san, Kotori-san, Umi-san, did any of you see Aria?" he asked so directly.

"Aria….?" The trio asked back.

The purplenette caught up to them,

"Haaah—Yuki, please wait for me next time!"

She said.

For some reason, the trio noticed a few resemblance between the two person they just met—but the most scary thing for them are those two also looked like two people that they know.

"A-ah! Pardon us! This man is Yuki, my brother, and I'm Lily. We are here to look for our sister, Aria." The young purplenette said.

"Aria…? How does she look like?" Honoka asked.

"She is around ten years old, she has a pair of small horn and a pair of small wings, blonde hair, blue eyes that shaped like his eyes." Lily described as she pointed to her brother.

"I'm sorry, but we haven't see anyone like that." Kotori said.

"Put that aside, how do you happen to know our name?" Umi asked.

"Of course, it's from—….!"

"Ahaha, for that!" Lily quickly muffled her brother's mouth.

"We knew about µ's. We love your songs!" she continued with cheerful smile.

"Aaah! µ's! Hehe! I knew that will make us famous!" Honoka said.

"We're about to finish a little business in the museum, can that wait for a while?" Umi asked politely.

"Ah, right, we need to solve something. It will be quick, hehe!" Kotori said.

"Do you need help to make it faster?" Yuki asked.

"No-No-no, Yuki! No! We're going to wait." Lily said.

"Ok, we wait!" Yuki said.

"Hehe, we're sorry, but we do need to finish this ourselves, just wait, ok?" Kotori said before she and her two friends ran in to the museum—through the walls.

The two siblings are quiet for a moment, thinking about what's so weird about them.

"Hmm...Yuki…" Lily said, breaking the silence.

"Yes?"

"Do you think there's anything weird about them?"

"Hmm… Umi-san doesn't have horns?"

"Uh… that's pretty obvious and she might be in disguise…"

"Then, Kotori-san doesn't have feathers?"

"That's obvious too… I feel like there's something off, but I don't really know…"

"Honoka-san didn't bring any bread with her?"

"Probably. That's weird, isn't it?"

"Yep, that's weird!"

"Uhm… but there's still something else…what is it…?"

* * *

In the museum,

"Umi-chan, Kotori-chan, are we really going to help them?" Honoka asked as they run through walls and jumping to the next floor through ceilings.

"We need to discuss this with the others first. Something is off with those two." Umi said.

"A-Anyway, did any of you noticed a strange scent?" Kotori asked.

"There's a strong dog scent coming out from that blonde man." Honoka said.

"Hmm… I have thought about that too. Is he not a human?" Umi said.

"There's a strange aura from that girl too. It feels like we are facing a legendary soul like Hanako or Yuki."

"T-two Yukis… we might be confused when they both in the same place." Honoka said.

"Yuki name is common, hehe…" Kotori said.

"Either way, we need to warn the others." Umi said before the trio dashed up for the last time.

Up in the museum roof,

Niko, Rin, Hanayo, and Maki are conducting their search.

"Weird, we've been searching for a while now, no sign of strange souls but some unsettling aura." Hanayo said.

"Could we possibly missed somewhere?" Maki said.

"I checked, my vision says that we are not being stalked. But I saw some sign of a living presence. Maybe our client isn't haunted by a ghost after all." Niko said.

"Heh, I told them that already. Nozomi and Eli are never wrong when it's about sensing ghost presences. No wonder they refuse to accept the museum's request." Maki said.

"Hehe, at least we did their favor-nya." Rin said.

"Yeah…" Maki sighed.

"I swear though, people are getting spoiled lately. Ever since our name heard in public, we got plenty of calls and some of them aren't even necessary. Like, who the heck want to steal their damned money, they don't even need it in the afterlife!" Niko said.

"People are making up ghost stories so that their crime isn't visible. Remember that time when that one man trying to bribe us to pretend that we are exorcising his neighbor house? I swear, if Eli didn't read his mind, we will never knew that it was a scam. He was just trying to cover his own crime." Maki said.

"Ah, yeah, that one. I can't believe he stole his neighbor money and blame it unto the poor young boy's soul." Hanayo said.

"Yeah-nya! Sometime I feel like human are so much more evil than the spirits-nya!" Rin said.

"Yeah… let's go back home by the way, we are wasting time here." Maki said.

"Ok-nya!" Rin said.

They turned themselves into the entrance door, though before they are able to reach it, three other girls appeared from the floor.

"W-whaaaa!" Hanayo screamed in her surprise.

"Aaaah!" Kotori—who just appeared from the floor screamed too.

"D-Don't surprise us like that!" Maki said.

"I'm sorry, but we got an urgent news." Umi said.

"Huh? What news?" Niko asked.

"There are two suspicious people outside the museum. They said they are searching for a girl named Aria. She has blonde hair, blue eyes that looked like Eli-chan's eyes. She has a pair of small horn and a pair of small wings." Honoka said.

"Huh? I actually kind of saw that girl before, she should be somewhere around this museum's park." Niko said.

"What? Why you didn't tell us before?" Maki asked.

"I thought she is just a mere demon. I mean, why would we care about that? I'm very sure she is harmless." Niko said.

"What if that's the girl who have been 'haunting' this place, huh?" Maki said.

"But Nozomi and Eli were sure that there are no harmful soul in this place, so that girl is fine. Didn't we agree to let that kind of soul to stay?" Niko said.

"We need to make a confirmation. Let's go to where that girl is." Umi said.

* * *

Meanwhile,

"Nozomi…!" The horned blonde said as she keep following the stubborn purplenette.

"What? Why are you following me? I need to find my Ericchi, not you!"

"She will be fine! Let's play a game instead!"

"Are you a kid? I'm not in the mood to play any game!"

"S-she rejected me?!" The blonde smirked.

"What? What's wrong with me rejecting you? You might be hot, but I'm not going to give up." Nozomi replied boldly.

"Y-you're interesting indeed. But…" the blonde suddenly disappeared.

"What if I'm this close…?" she said as she appeared behind the purplenette and hugged her.

Nozomi could fee her body began to feel weak again, though, she knows that she shouldn't give up to her before she can find her Eli. She quickly turn herself around, then grab unto both of her bust and squeeze it real hard.

"Aaaaahhh! N-Nozomiiii!"

"I'm not going to look into your eyes anymore! I knew you're draining my power from there!" Nozomi yelled to her while she keep squeezing her bust as hard as possible.

"H-Hurts! My breast! S-Stop it!"

"I don't care if you are an Empress, or whatsoever creature! I just want my Ericchi back!"

"I-I get it! I get it! I'll help you find her, p-please stop!"

Nozomi released her and let her take a short break.

"Hah, you are so tough against my charm…" the blonde said as she tried to control her breath after enduring the painful breast squeeze.

"Listen, it's not like I can resist that either, but understand me a little, ok? I love your looks, I love your voice, I love everything from you because you are her in another universe. But I don't want to abandon my responsibility. I need to make sure Ericchi is safe and we will talk about this game you want to play." Nozomi said.

The blonde nods and she gave her the most charming smile the purplenette ever see.

"I understand. I will stop flirting you from now on, Nozomi." she replied and again, her voice is so gentle and enchanting, too gentle and enchanting.

Nozomi took a really deep breath, with her face blushing so red and her heart beating so fast, she hits the blonde's breast so hard.

"Aarrgghh… N-Nozomi! Why did you hit me?!"

"You idiot! You're not supposed to flirt me!"

"I didn't!"

"You did! Idiot! Stop being so charming!"

"H-How can I do that if I'm naturally is charming?!"

"I hate you,Ericchi from another universe! I hate you!" Nozomi shouted again as she hits Eli's breast once again.

"N-Nozomi! It hurts!"

"Idiot-idiot-idioooottt!" she hits her again and again.

"H-Have mercy to my breast! They did nothing bad!"

* * *

The Love Hotel,

Eli and Queen Nozomi arrived to the hotel, they immediately ordered a room and a few additional facilities. They are now led to their room by the bellboy. Thankfully for Queen Nozomi, she was able to be disguised again by the Eli that came up with her. It wasn't a real disguise, though. It's just an illusion that casted upon others when they see her.

"Hmm… you are, 27 years old, huh?" Queen Nozomi said as she stare deeply into the identity card that Eli held.

"Do I look older than that?" Eli asked with her playful smile.

"Of course not, darling, you look so much younger." Queen Nozomi replied with a giggle.

"I didn't expect you to be so young, that's all." She continued again.

"Shouldn't you be the same age?" Eli asked.

"Hmm… nope, sadly." Queen Nozomi replied with a somewhat mischievous smile.

"…and I won't let you know, Darling." She continued again before they stopped in front of the room.

The two females entered the room and the door isn't yet closed as the bell boy remained in front of their room.

Both of the women remained silent for a while before they turned to him very slowly.

"I read your mind…" the blonde said.

The bellboy jumped slightly,

"…you were waiting for us to invite you to the fun, right?" the blonde continued with a strange smile in her face. The bellboy remained silent, his face is red and it seems that Eli hits the spot through her mind reading.

"Sadly, not every women wish to have men interfering their private time. You will never get what you wish from us, so I suggest you to go before we do something you don't want." Eli continued again.

The bellboy nods before he closed the door.

"Hmm… that was too bad, I could use him to fill my hunger." Queen Nozomi said.

"Whatever do you mean by that?" Eli asked somewhat a little furiously.

"To eat, literally. I've always missed the taste of human…"

"Do you eat them in daily basis?" The blonde asked.

"Not anymore. We've been living far away from the human world. Food are limited and at most of the time, we only eat some hunted organism that already turned into a soul food."

"A soul food?"

"It looked like a candy, but it contains the whole body of a living being and their soul. It's not always human though, sometime it's some other type of occults."

"Your world seems to be fun." Eli said.

"You think so? Or is it because you think that we're free to kill others?"

"From the very beginning of my life time, I have always questioned myself about if it is ok to kill another." The blonde said,

"I've heard that sentence before. Except, my Ericchi came up to a conclusion that it isn't ok to do that."

"How can she be coming up to that? What is her reason?" Eli asked somewhat seriously.

"Because you never knew about how those people get through their life. At first, she thought that it was ok to kill the bad and spare the good—though, in the end, she realized that bad or good, it depends on one another point of views."

"If a drug dealer, or a thief, or a murderer do what they think to be 'good', are they truly worth living?" the blonde asked again.

"It may be bad for another since they are a disadvantage, but, what may have caused them to turn their life into crime? Are they truly one to be blamed?" the queen replied.

"They could've done it differently."

"Is it really as easy as that? What if a drug dealer became who he is because he was desperate to make a living for his family? What about a thief? What if he steal because he was taught to do that since birth? Then a murderer, would someone murder another without any single motivation, not even from themselves?"

"The society hates them and they treated them like they're not worth living. They shamed them publically and no one would ever trust them anymore. That's why, perhaps, being able to kill another freely is a good thing for the world. We can take their life and spare the food for they who are capable of living honestly."

"Ah, is that so? That's such an interesting idealism. But then, are they really not be able to be fixed?"

"I don't know. I've got through a life where I always think that everyone try to harm another. My wisdom is remade yet such question still linger within me. The world outside is never beautiful to me and it feels like human being is always one to be blamed for any mistake in this world." Eli replied.

"Hmm… you're infected by a disease called as insecurities, a stage before anxiety born within you."

"I don't want to be that _sick_ again…"

"Sure, who wants to be anxious anyway? Many people are struggling to get rid of that. Have you not talk to your girlfriend?"

"I… I don't want to worry her. I don't want to talk about it to her either. She has gone through so much for me back then. I don't want to let it be shown to her."

"Hiding it won't help you either. That's not how you deal with your insecurities and anxiety." Queen Nozomi said.

"What is the right way to do it then?"

The queen giggled to her question.

"Funny, this teaching isn't coming from me but from my Ericchi."

The blonde remained silent to listen.

"It's hard to make the world perfect since it will never be perfect. Everything needs to be done in a moderation to make a perfection, even though in the end, we're all gambling with our choice."

"Gambling with our choice?"

"Yep, did you know that there will never be a 100% result from one action? Success or Fail, you will never know. It's fine to hold into your idealism, but you have to understand that you will never have a 100% of it. So instead of denying, it's better for you to embrace it and find another way to cover it. Forcing your way to do it may work, but it might not and you have to accept whatever the result somehow."

"Can we not struggle to achieve our goal?"

"You can, but then again, if you fail, you have to accept it and try again when you are ready."

"What does 'accept' means to you?"

"It's not to stress about it and take it as a lesson. The more you deny, the more you think, the worse you will feel. Just like friendship. You can try to befriend someone, but if it fails, then you can try again or find another person that may worth your time. Don't stress over that one person who can't follow with you, instead, think of the person who appreciate you just the way you are."

"How can you know, don't you just hate it when someone faking their personality to you?"

"Can you appreciate the way they try to be fake to you? Instead of thinking about how they're trying to take advantage, try to think about how they try to be diplomatic to you. Being true to yourself doesn't mean that you have to speak out anything in your mind at the very second, but it's to find a way to tell what within your mind with the right way and in the right time." Queen Nozomi replied.

"Is that how you think?" Eli asked.

"Yes, and I believe your girlfriend said the same, or perhaps, she has done that to you. I can imagine how she tried to be fake to you so that you can feel comfortable to be around her. She wanted to be friend you, she wanted to make you feel home. Can you appreciate that?"

"I… I can."

The blonde replied a little sadly.

"There you go. She has succeeded to make you fall for her, it's her achievement, she may have gone through more struggle than what you know. Help her to treasure it."

"I surely will."

"Alright, now, shall we get on our main business here?"

"Actually, I feel wrong. You're not her, even though you sounded like her from another universe."

"Is that so? Then you don't want to do this?"

"Can we… do this, but, only as a lesson?"

"A lesson? My… that leads to somewhere. What do you want to know?'

"She was asking me to serve her in intimacy, but I'm never be sharp enough to know what she wanted. I have read her mind a few times now but I still couldn't find the answer. That's why I keep trying to observe her through what she likes to do to me, but then she got pissed off since I was asking for it too much!"

Queen Nozomi giggled,

"Well, being such a dork aren't you? You can't find the answer within her mind because the answer isn't there. You have to surprise her, that's what she wanted."

"Surprise… her?"

"Yep, she doesn't have any favorite position or any specific request, all she wanted is to be close, to be spontaneous, and to be treated specially."

"How can I do that?"

"Hmm… it's hard for you, huh? Because you have always plan everything before doing an action? Then let me help you a bit. Why don't we play a game of Magic, Madness, Heaven, and Sins?"

"What kind of game is that?" Eli asked.

"It's a game that I've always play with my Ericchi. We're playing a role play of random theme. But since this time I don't bring my cards with me, I'll pick the theme. I'm going to be a noble, while you become my butler. I'll be commanding you to do my favor, you can choose your action to respond between magic, madness, heaven, and sins." Queen Nozomi replied.

"What are those action, exactly?" Eli asked.

"Magic, you'll be able to remove one thing before you obey my command. Madness, you are going to use the chance to make your move instead of obeying my order, heaven, you will obey my command without any other action involved, then sins, you obey my command but also twisting it into what you wish to do to me. The only thing you have to remember is that you can't use the same action at the next command."

"How do we know who will win or who will lose?"

"Simple, after you do all four actions, you will take the turn to command and I will choose the respond as well. The game will eventually become irresistible, the first person who's not capable of holding their urge to be intimate will lose. The winner will get to ask one wish at the next day."

"So, what we exactly doing in the game is to tempt another to do intimacy? Sounds good."

"Yes, also, it's to tempt another to do intimacy, if you're telling another to do intimacy to you, it will be counted as you are trying to do the intimacy which mean, you lose the game."

"So it has to be only flirt and no real action? Fun. I'll do it."

"Hehe, I like that spirit, Ericchi. Now, shall we get started?" Queen Nozomi said.

"Bring it on!"

"Alright, first command…" The queen took a deep breath,

"Ah—it's so hot tonight. Would you please do something for me?" she begged with an extremely sultry voice.

The blonde's face blushes red and she began to feel something is breaking inside her as she heard it. A second later, her nose began to bleed and her eyes went blank.

"W-wait, Ericchi! How could you have a nose bleed in the first command?!"

Eli wipe her own blood with her arm.

"Mm… maybe we should just look for my daughter instead? I think you need a little break from all these heat." Queen Nozomi tried to convince.

"I'm fine…" the blonde said again before she wipe her blood again.

"You're not fine, silly! Let's just do something else, ok?" Queen Nozomi said with her concerned voice as she touched her shoulder.

"What about a massage, do you want me to massage you?" the queen asked again, she accidentally show her cleavage as she bent to look into the blonde closer—who collapsed all so sudden at the second after.

"E-Ericchi!"

* * *

Meanwhile;

In front of the love Hotel, Nozomi and Empress Eli—in her disguise are about to enter just to check if both of their senses are right. Though, Nozomi began to doubt her action. She stopped and turn herself away from it.

"What's wrong, Nozomi?" Empress Eli asked.

"I… I think I was wrong. Maybe they are somewhere else?" Nozomi said with a slight blush on her face.

"Hmm…? I'm pretty sure my sense detect them to be in this place." Empress Eli said.

"They must be somewhere else, I'm sure!" Nozomi said. From the way she said it, Empress Eli realized that something must've been bothering her mind. She smiled faintly at her and grab her shoulder.

"Hey, have she ever take you to a flight?"

"A flight? To where?" Nozomi asked.

"It's not the same flight with a plane flight. You will really fly like a bird."

"I knew you can do such thing, but to where?"

"To nowhere, nothing wrong with browsing the night through the sky, right?"

"I don't see the point of doing that though." Nozomi replied.

"Are you sure?"

"I can fly when I let my soul free from my body. It may takes so much energy, but still, I can fly on my own. I don't need you to take me fly."

"Are your eyes the only sense you want to satisfy? What about your skin? Your nose? Your heart?"

"I'm fine. I don't need you to spoil me." Nozomi replied with a slight blush on her face.

"What a stubborn girl. Then I guess I have no choice." The blonde Empress sighed before she took off her coat, then place it on the purplenette's shoulder.

Nozomi is flustered, though before she was able to ask about it, The Empress grab her waist and jumped up to the sky. Nozomi quickly held into her tightly.

"Ericchi!" she protested.

The two have soared so up high to the sky. Nozomi covered her eyes as she can feel how her body couldn't feel the ground. The Empress turned back to her true form. Now that she touch her, she can feel her cold skin and her muscular feature. Her horns looks very real and she truly able to see it grow on her head, her wings are so huge and mighty, while her grip is as strong as a safety belt yet gentle and comfortable like a pillow. She still wouldn't dare to stare into her eyes, it's too charming and she feel like she will fall deeper in her forbidden love. Alas, the one who she know as her girlfriend is a phantom, it's already wrong but still won't be as wrong as loving a married demon.

"Relax, just enjoy your view." Empress Eli said with her playful yet gentle and seductive voice. Nozomi silenced, the only view she can see right now is the sky and her shoulder.

"Do you like it?" The Empress asked.

"No, I've seen the sky for more than a thousand time now. Let me see something else."

The Empress giggled before she flipped herself over, letting the purplenette to see the beautiful city through the sky—even though its beauty is no match against the Empress herself.

"Like this?" The Empress asked again.

"Yes…" Nozomi replied very shyly.

Again, she know this is truly her first time meeting this most charming creature she ever see, but she feel so wrong and she think that she really should stop looking at her. She tried so hard to put her focus into the city, yet her eyes always leads her back to the charming eyes that make her feel weak until her the tip of her feet.

She wanted this woman to kiss her, she truly is and might soon be really desperate of her touch. She feel the heat around her own groin, then the fact that her groin is on top of her groin make her feel worse. The warmth of the fluffy thick fur robe make it even harder to resist. She wanted to open her clothes right now and begin to be intimate with this woman.

What is this feeling that she feel right now? She is crazy of her—alas, even crazier than when she wanted her girlfriend. Is it called as cheating if she imagine herself to be treated with the Eli that came from another universe?

What about her Eli right now? She went to a love hotel with the other her, did she even know that she is not her? Will it be fair if she let herself drown in the temptation? Will she be hurt to know the fact that her Eli is doing something with the other her?

It's so frustrating, it's so mind consuming.

"You look even more worried. Are you scared of height? I have never know that from my wife." The empress asked with her concerned face.

"No, it's not that. I'm fine with this height." Nozomi replied.

"It just that…" her voice faded.

She took half a minute to think of her answer while the beautiful blonde Empress keep staring at her.

"…I feel like one of my emotion trying so hard to lead me to astray."

"Do you wish to kiss me now?"

The question is simple, yet it makes her heart beating even faster.

"Yes…" she shyly replied.

"Then, kiss me. No one will mind."

"What about your wife?"

"You are basically her from another universe. We also agreed that we will play a bit and none of us will be jealous. To put it in simple sentence, you are basically my wife from another universe."

"So, it's fine if we… you know." Nozomi moved her hips a bit, pushing her gap to hers for a hint.

"Not that far. There's a little border that you can't cross as a normal human being."

"Ah… I see." Nozomi replied sadly.

"A kiss is fine, as long as you're the one who work on the force exchange." Empress Eli said.

"I… have to? Why?" Nozomi asked.

"Because I'm a demon, I might kill you with a kiss even though it just with a little force. The only kiss I can do to you is on your forehead."

"I see. Then never mind it, perhaps its better if we never kiss."

The Empress giggled to her again,

"Just do it with your girlfriend, she is no different than I am."

"Is she really? I feel like she has been awkward to me."

"Now-now, isn't that a little cruel of you? She might be struggling for you."

"She has never really said it, but, I feel likeI always be the one who works her out and… that's why, I started to feel like I have been forcing her too much. Maybe that's why she gets awkward to me?"

"How could you come into that conclusion? That's rare for someone like you."

"It's been a long journey for us both, I know her until the depth of her mind. We've been working together to solve mysteries and banishing evil souls. Despite her being a phantom who lives among us as human being, she always worked so hard for me. Sometime I feel like I don't deserve that much appreciation. That's why, I feel awkward when she asked me to dance for her. I don't know how she likes me to be, not even which part she love most from me. I don't know where she want to see me from and I don't even know what she truly wish from me. The more she ask me to dance, the more I feel like she is trying to give me the chance to satisfy her."

"You're just insecure with yourself. Overthinking is bad, you know. My wife always told me that."

"I knew that." Nozomi replied sadly.

"Everything has to be in a moderation, its fine for you to be aware about yourself, but it's not fine when you start to think badly about yourself. To tell you the truth, maybe your lover loves you just the way you are and what she try to do is to get to know you further. She believes that what you do to others is what you favor for yourself."

"That's a very silly way of thinking, but for real, is it truly that way? What if I was right?"

"Your action is a prayer, do you believe that?"

"I do." Nozomi replied.

"Then what makes you feel insecure of yourself? Have you been bad? Have you been doing something that you shouldn't?"

"Maybe…" Nozomi replied shyly.

"Well, if it is about me, you haven't kiss me. You are just attracted to me and that sounds normal. I am that fabulous, no one can resist me and you did a great job on trying. If not, then you have to believe that someone appreciates you. If you truly want to make others feel secure, then you have to make yourself secure about yourself too. Embrace what you have achieved and love yourself the way you are. When you do that, you're also praying for another people around you to feel secure of themselves, then, the next step, you'll be friends with them when fate told you so."

"So it's still a chance, huh? Not a guaranteed act?"

"Everything in this world is a gamble. You will never know until you try. Truth to be told, my wife made me thinking so much about how an ideal world is. I might be like you now without her presence. She is a part of my soul and I will never let her down."

Nozomi smiled as she heard it.

"Now-now, I feel kind of jealous that she got someone as charming as you. Why my Ericchi can't be like you?"

"Grass is always be greener on the other side. Trust me, your Eli is just the same like me. She need more time to learn. Hang in there, ok?"

"If you says so…" Nozomi replied with her blush still remained on her cheek.

"Now, is there any place you wanted to go to, sweetheart?"

"Hmm… well, maybe we can check the museum? A client of mine called that they found a paranormal activity again in their place. I tried to check for the presence, yet I see no souls are left other than the guardian souls. Now my friends might be there to reassure them. I'm kind of worried that they couldn't find a solution to the problem."

"Got it, so which museum is this?"

"Should be in the historical figure museum. I'll show you the way!"

* * *

The Museum;

"Where is that little girl now, I swear I saw her here before." Niko said as she leads the group to search around the Museum's park.

"Heh, I'm very sure that you're just imagining it. I can't hear a single sound other than our feet taping on the stone and snows. It's freezing here, why would anyone stay around this place." Maki said.

"I told you, I swear I saw her here before! Besides, we might be dealing with another creature than human, right? Like, who the hell has a pair of horns and small wings?"

"Well, demons, obviously. But then, we don't know if we can deal with this demon. Heck, are we even in the level?" Maki said.

"I'm sure we are. We have our weapons." Umi said.

"Yeah! Also our power to heal spirits!" Kotori said.

"If we're only dealing with a demon child, I'm sure we don't have to use any weapons. There must be a way to convince her!" Hanayo said.

"I wonder if we can just call her. Who was her name again? Aria?" Honoka said.

"Aria-chaaan!" Rin shouted so loudly.

"O-Oi! I don't think that will work!" Niko said.

But after she said it, everyone can feel a presence just moved near the dry bushes. Then soon after, A little girl with blonde hair, a pair of horns, a pair of small wings, cool blue eyes and cheerful lips appeared.

"Rin-san!" she shouted cheerfully before she ran to Rin.

"W-whoa, she knows her name?!" Niko exclaimed.

"Aria-chan!" Rin hugged her cheerfully, she acted like she knew her for a long time.

"Waaaaa! I'm so worried, Rin-san! I don't know how to return to home!" the little girl said.

Rin blinked, she wonder if she should act like she knew where her home is or ask her out directly.

"W-where's your home again?" Hanayo asked gently—it makes Rin relieved that someone initiating the question.

"Aaah! Hanayo-san! You're acting like you don't know! My Home is always be within the castle of the underworld! I need to hurry up home and practice there so I can meet with my papa!"

"M-meet… with your papa?" Everyone flustered.

"Yep! Sheesh, why you are all forgot about it. Mama told me that I should grow up strong before I can present myself to papa! Papa is very strong and papa also has a ton of responsibilities, papa won't waste a single second for weaklings!"

"Her papa sounded like a king, is she Kagemi's daughter?" Kotori whispered to Umi.

"Maybe? Should we take her to the shrine and confirm it?" Umi suggested.

"Hey, do you want to go to the Shrine?" Maki asked.

"The shrine? I don't see the point of going there, Maki-san!But, since you're the one who ask, I'll go!" Aria replied cheerfully.

"She knows my name too." Maki whispered to herself.

"Then, let's just go to the Shrine!" Kotori said.

"Yep! Hehe!" Aria replied.

As the left to the entrance near the park, Nozomi and Eli arrived to the very place, landing on top of the roof. They can see the group leaving the area with a little girl following them cheerfully. Empress Eli noticed the horns and the wings, she is also be able to see a familymark on her soul.

"So that's my third child…" she said.

"How could you not know about your own child?" Nozomi asked.

"My wife isolated herself when she got pregnant with our third child. I don't understand why." The Empress replied.

"What did she say?" Nozomi asked.

"She said nothing, she just told me to work on my responsibilities and leave the family business to her." Eli replied.

"She doesn't want you to overwhelm yourself with responsibilities, so she took a part of your responsibilities." Nozomi said.

"I already told her that I can handle it, I didn't get sick or anything." The Empress replied

"When she said you shouldn't, then you shouldn't. I know my Ericchi and I believe she knows you too."

"She also forbid me to look for this child of mine. I don't understand that one either."

"There must be something about you and that child." Nozomi said.

"Which I don't know. What reason can you think of?" The Empress asked.

"Maybe because you are very strict? I know my Ericchi is always disciplined, almost as disciplined as Umi-chan." Nozomi said.

"I barely tell my child what to do. They have never really approach me unless something is really urgent and they need to come to me."

"Then, there must be something else that she sees." Nozomi said.

"Ah well, I'll just let her do whatever she wishes to do." The Empress sighed.

"Yep, that surely is the only thing you can do. Don't sweat over the details."

"Hah—that would be what she says too."

"Now, should we follow my friends and see what they're going to do? You can always pretend that you are not her parent. I'll help you out."

"I don't know about that, I hope she doesn't have the vision ability. If she happen to have it, she will know I'm her parent."

"Just wing it, Ericchi! Didn't you told me that everything in this world is a gamble?"

"Yeah… I sure did say that."

"So, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

* * *

The Love Hotel;

Queen Nozomi tended to the silly blonde who just collapsed from whatever she is thinking of about her. Now that the blonde woke up, they started to prepare for the next action.

"Since we ended up doing nothing particular in this room, we really should hurry up to go outside and look for my daughter. I can't let my Ericchi waiting for too long." The queen said.

"Why did you have to hide your daughter from her anyway?" The Blonde fox asked as she tidy up her own clothes.

"Because she isn't a succubus, not a werewolf either. She doesn't have any specialty like her siblings."

"What's wrong with that, huh?" Eli asked plainly.

The queen surprised as she heard it, didn't expect her to respond as plain as that.

"I wouldn't care about that if I'm her. She is my daughter, I have the right to see her."

The queen seemed to be touched by her words,

"There's nothing wrong with being a human. I might be seeing them as lowly creatures, but if she is my daughter, I'll never do that, then perhaps I might finally be able to grow love to them as well?"

"Thing is, I've been trying to raise her like a human being. I gave her a fake horns and wings just to make her think that we're all dressing up. I want her to embrace herself as a human, a kid like her will hardly understand."

"I see, if that's your reason, you could've told me and I will certainly help you."

"I… actually don't wish to burden my Ericchi with more responsibilities. She has got enough on her shoulder."

"Who cares? I don't! I'd take all responsibilities I need to. That's that. I'm her parent, she is my daughter, you are my wife, and no one can tell me another way. I have sworn to love you more than anything else, so is my family!"

"Silly Ericchi, that's the exact problem, you see? Because she care so much, it makes me worried if I get so selfish about my needs."

"I said, If I'm her, wouldn't care about that. There's 24 hours in a day and 7 days in a week. I will make a schedule for you and family. I can't be working for that much hours. It's not that I will spend my whole time for family if I knew that my wife and my daughter needs me to be present in daily basis. You just have to tell me what you wish and I shall grant it."

"Well then, if you are her, what exactly you will do?"

"Simple, you said you want to raise her so that she embraced her human race, right? Then I'll be trying to look as human as possible, next, I might be busy, but I will make a day as my family day or some hours as my family hours, depend on how much work hours I need to finish my other responsibilities. Lastly, I will also find a way to explain everything in the most human way possible." The blonde replied somewhat confidently.

The queen giggled to her answer,

"That really sounds like her, except, I think you're so much adorable than my Ericchi. I'm jealous of the me in this universe. Having such a dork like you to be my lover surely will entertain me everyday. Sometime I got tired of being so serious and wanted to have these kind of thing in my life. My Ericchi is getting smarter and smarter everyday, she barely able to be joked with."

"Maybe it's just you who fears her. I get the feeling that you are just hiding yourself too much."

"You are right…but, lately, I don't really know how. Most of our work is truly important, I don't want to mess up with it."

"Do you have anyone like Honoka or Rin?"

"The µ's? We do. They're still there and most of the time they are—…."

The queen pauses.

"…oh…" an idea struck her mind.

"See? You got that, right? All you need to do is to somehow make an event where they are all involved. It doesn't have to be messing up with important cases."

"You are right, I'm glad I talked with you." the Queen replied with a big smile.

"She could've said the same with her own way. You have to open yourself some more, It's fine for you to be selfish, after all, your happiness is the most important thing in this world for her."

The queen nods again before she pushes herself to the blonde. Deeply kissing her lips all so sudden.

"You have to be careful of your sweet tongue. I'm not someone who can hold my desire back." She said.

The blonde still remained silent in shock.

"I'd like to lick you for being so sweet and adorable, but, perhaps, I shouldn't? You're not mine and I'm not yours." The queen continued again with her most sultry voice. Eli nods, she is still speechless about how different the kiss feels like for her.

"Can you give my power back? I think I want to return to my Ericchi now and look for this daughter with her instead."

"You'll be fine? You look like a little overwhelmed before."

"I'll be fine, though we need to hurry up and find my Ericchi, she is the only one who can hold my transformation during full moon."

"Then, I'll hold into it until we know where she is."

"Shouldn't she be with your Nozomi?"

"If that's true, then they should be heading towards the shrine."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's check out and get ourselves there."

* * *

The Shrine;

The kid and the rest of µ's walked to the shrine. While they're doing so, they also have been listening to the girl about her adventure. The girl demanded to sit on top of Maki's shoulder—which Maki couldn't help but to let her do what she wanted. Other than that, she was also taking off her fake horns and wings and let Niko wears them—which perfectly fit on her head and body somehow.

"…and then and then, I went to the zoo! I don't know who that woman was, but, she was so gentle! There are also a few flying people around her and a flying kid around my age! Hehe, I don't know her name though, never really cared to ask her name!" she said.

"Flying people…?" Umi asked to Kotori,

"Maybe she was able to see ghost? She might be Kagemi's daughter after all." Kotori said.

"She looks very human though, should we really take her to Kagemi-san?" Umi said.

"Hehe, maybe her daughter took someone's body? We never know. There are so much possibilities we have in the spiritual world." Honoka said.

"You're right. We can only try to confirm it."

Then as they reached to where they usually find Kagemi and the others, though they can only see Yuki sitting there alone. She saw them and greeted them immediately.

"Ah! You all! It's been a while! Did you manage to solve the case in the museum?"

"We really can't find anything other than this kid." Niko said as she pointed to the little girl.

"Hmm… I feel like I have met her before." Yuki said as she approached the little girl.

"Hehe, you're one of the flying human around that one woman called Kagemi!" Aria said.

"Ah! I remember now! You are… Aria… right? You said that you are a princess from another universe?"

"Yep! Hehe, I didn't expect to meet you here since I was only asked by Maki-san to visit the shrine,!" Aria replied cheerfully.

"Wait, so she is not Kagemi's daughter?" Maki asked.

"Huh? Of course not, Maki-san! My mother name is Nozomi Toujou! I thought you knew that!"

"W-whaaaaaaaaaattt?!" they all exclaimed in their surprise.

"Y-you are… her daughter? But who is your father then…?" Umi asked.

"Of course, papa is the Ruler of the Underworld! Eli Ayase!"

"W-wait-wait… why have we never heard of this before?! When were you even born?! Then, who are Lily and Yuki?!" Honoka asked.

"Ahh... them, they are my siblings." Aria replied.

"It doesn't make sense to me, I have never heard them to be Ruler of the Underworld or anything, is this some kind of a prank?" Maki asked.

"Prank? No way! Sheesh! I really am their daughter! I knew it! Lily-nee-chan and Yuki-nii-chan said so!" Aria replied as she puffed her cheek.

"I… I don't get it…" Maki said with a smirk on her face.

"Now, are you trying to pretend that you've never known us? Is this a prank?" Aria said.

As she said it, a couple ran to where they are.

"Everyone!" The purplenette said as she ran with the blonde next to her.

"Aah! Mama!" Aria quickly jumped off Maki's shoulder and hugged her.

Nozomi began to wonder what she should respond her with, though, luckily for her, the girl seem to realize about her identity.

"Hmmm…." The little girl started to sniff her inappropriately.

"You don't smell like mama, who are you?" she asked.

All eyes began to focus on her, it gets a little intense after a while too.

"I… I'm not your mama." Nozomi said a little shyly as she breaks the silence.

"Then, what about you? Are you my papa?" the little girl asked to the blonde next to her.

When her eyes met hers, she realized that she might be really talking to someone special. Her gaze is mesmerizing even for a child. The rest of the girls in µ's also feel the same when they look into her. Something is very different and they don't know what it exactly is.

"You know me?" The Empress asked very gently.

The little girl nods very slowly.

"Yes… Lily-nee-chan and Yuki-nii-chan told me." She said.

"I see. Then yes, I'm your papa."

"Eeeeeeehhhh?!" The girls are so surprised to hear the answer.

"Aah!" The little girl suddenly shouted before she ran to Maki and hid behind her.

"Y-You shouldn't look at me papa! I'm not a strong girl yet!"

The Empress tilt her head slightly,

"Why I shouldn't? You have seen me and I have seen you now."

"M-Mama told me that I should see you when I'm strong! I'm not a strong girl yet!" the girl said.

"I don't understand." The Empress replied.

About a few seconds after, another couple arrived to the area.

"Aria-chan!" The purplenette quickly ran in along with the blonde next to her.

"Mama!" Aria once again run to her, though this time, she seem to acknowledge her scent.

"A- another Nozomi-chan and Eli-chan! W-what happened here?!" Hanayo said as she pointed to them.

"D-Doppelganger?!" Rin exclaimed.

"I don't think so, remember what Yuki-san said, she came from another universe. That means, they are Nozomi and Eli from another universe as well." Umi said.

"Yeah, now it starts to make sense to me too." Maki said.

The Empress doesn't look amused, she glared at her wife with a somewhat cold glance. Eli realized it and steps in front of the Queen with a battle stance.

"What with those eyes? If you want to fight, fight me first. I dare you." She said.

"Don't interfere with my family business, phantom. I have a serious question I need to ask to my wife." The Empress said.

"Who cares about your stupid question, I bet you're just going to ask about why she is hiding her from you. Maybe this is the reason after all." Eli said.

"What do you know about this?" The Empress asked somewhat bitterly.

"She told me everything already, maybe you should listen to her now."

"I'm always all ears for her, I see no reason of hiding something from me." The Empress said.

"Well, the reason is because you always listen and she is worried if you are too caring about her." Nozomi said.

The Queen remained silent as she hugged her daughter. She noticed the help that she gets from the purplenette.

"Didn't I tell you? She doesn't want you to put all burden on your shoulder." Nozomi continued.

"I'm capable of doing that. So why not?" the Empress said.

"It's not about capable or not, but it's about her feeling to you. She feels bad for being spoiled too much, as simple as that. I've always known my Ericchi is someone who tends to over-achieve something, so you're probably someone like that." Nozomi replied.

"I'm not someone like that!" Both Eli said.

"Enough! Let me talk for myself!" The Queen said.

Everyone's eyes are now on her.

"I was hiding her because I know that she is born to be a normal human being. Despite her having the family mark within her soul, she doesn't have any magic or any transformation. I was worried if she couldn't impress you… I'm also worried if she becomes your burden. I suspected that you will look for a way to make her feel special and you will probably think about it for years. I don't want you to do that! I want you to let me take this responsibility!"

The Empress silenced while the rest of people began to look at each other, wondering what they can suggest to help out.

"I was thinking to just let her live her life as an ordinary human being, so that she can live free from any magical experience or something of sort, free from the pressure of being an ordinary human being, free from the high-standard life…"

"It isn't fair for her either!" Suddenly a voice came up from somewhere else. Again, everyone's attention turned to the source of the voice.

"Lily…" Both of the demons called her.

"She is born to be human, so what? That's not how it supposed to be done. She should've been taught to embrace herself in this diversity. Being a human is not bad, not at all. I'm sure she can find that by herself in the future. No one have to hide, no one have to think of it too much! You told me before that everyone is beautiful just the way they are, right?" Lily said as her brother stood near her and nods to agree with her.

Both of The Empress and the Queen silenced, the little girl seems to be watching everything in awe, while the rest of the girls still trying to think of what exactly happened.

"Look! Look at them! Do you think they're not beautiful? Do you think they are not capable of doing something good? They're just Mama, papa, and those friends of yours in another universe. Aria is just like them! She is special because she is a human being who grow among us!" Lily continued.

"Raise her just like how you raise us, no more secret! We want her to be treated equally! I bet Aria want the same too!" Yuki the werewolf prince added.

Both of the Empress and the Queen look down to their daughter. The Little girl flustered, though gladly, the blonde give her a question to help.

"Is there anything you want to say to your parents?"

"Hnnng..." she started to think as she look into her parents. The two seemed to be not looking at each other while a slight painful expression is made on their face.

"Mama, Papa, stop fighting. I'll be a good girl, I promise. I won't go wander on my own again." She continued with the saddest face she ever make.

"There-there, Aria-chan. It was my fault for not paying attention to you." The Queen said.

Aria nodded before she began to cry softly and muffle her voice in her mother embrace.

"A-Aria-chan!" Rin and Hanayo began to feel concerned.

"Hey, you, I bet you're thinking like: If you told me before, it will never be this embarrassing. Right?" Maki said to the Empress.

"I don't even think that way. I was thinking of where my fault is until I make everyone around me started to think that I'll give no mercy to them." The Empress replied.

"Your face perhaps? Your eyes? Your action? Or because you've been quiet and working all day, everyone started to feel uneasy around you? Show some smile. Loosen up a bit!" Niko said.

"Sorry to be blunt, but if you truly want to show that you have mercy, you have to show that part of you, especially to your own family. You should've done that frequently so that everyone won't forget about how you can be so caring and loving!" Umi said.

"We understand about how scary it feels like to be around someone who always been so quiet and unresponsive! It makes me nervous and I feel like I won't approach them at all!" Kotori said.

"You don't have to act so tough to be a leader. You can always be the good leader who makes everyone feel comfortable!" Honoka added.

"But don't be like my Ericchi, she is too loose and now she doesn't even have her charisma again." Nozomi said.

"W-what? Why are you judging me like that? I don't always mess up with everything." Eli complained.

The Empress sighed heavily. She didn't make any word of response to any of the sentence that said to her, instead, she walked to her wife and daughter, gently pushing Eli and crouched to reach her small daughter.

"I'm sorry, Aria. I'm sorry, love. Should we go home and discuss about this?" The Empress said.

The Queen and her daughter nodded with the most sincere smile they make tonight. The Empress replied them with her gentle smile and stood up to turn herself to her other children.

"Lily! Yuki! Let's go home." She beckoned. The two nods before they ran to approach her.

"Should I go there too? She looks so hot, maybe I can find someone else like her in her world?" Yuki the ghost said with the smallest voice she can make.

"Ehehe, Yuki-san, don't make Kagemi-san worried about you." Kotori replied to her,

"Right, there's that old woman…" Yuki the ghost sighed heavily.

Then, unexpectedly, the Empress grab Eli's collar and threw her away so roughly. Fortunately for her, her reflex allow her to get on her feet and stopped near where her Nozomi is.

"What on shattering earth is that for?!" Eli protested.

"I hate you so much, moron!" The Empress shouted at her.

"Huh?! What did I do?!" The blonde fox girl complained.

"Shut up, Ericchi, she is you and you are her." Nozomi said.

"What? Wait… Do you mean she hates herself? Then why did she throw me?!"

"Think Ericchi, think."

"What?" The blonde fox smirked in confusion.

After they prepared themselves, the Empress opened a portal and gestured to her family to enter it. The Family waved at them with a happy smile before they all leave through the portal. The Empress stopped for a moment, then she gazes into the purplenette with her most charming gaze tonight. She pressed her own finger to her lips, then blowing a kiss to her.

Nozomi swears that she has never seen an extremely sexy blow kiss, it feels so real to her and she unconsciously licked her own lips after.

"Hey! Stop flirting her! She is mine!" Eli said with a pout on her face.

The Empress giggled, she is about to enter the portal but…

"W-whaw-wa-wa! Eli-chaaaaaan! Wait! Let us in too!" a familiar voice heard from a distance.

"Eh? That's my voice?" Honoka said as she pointed to herself.

Suddenly, a group of unknown creatures passes through the girls and Yuki the ghost.

Firstly, it was a huge red-panther with horns and wings, ridden by a girl with short brown hair and glasses. For a moment there, Maki feel like she has something alike with this creature, but she doesn't really want to believe that.

Then, a tall creature with two pairs of long horns, running in her hakama along with a huge ash-brown bird-like creature. Kotori and Umi shivered as they see those two creature passes through them.

Next, it was a small shadow and a pair of orange haired girls. When they are about to pass through Rin, Niko and Hanayo, they feel like they are about to snatch something—or someone. They can't really react to it though.

The Empress let them enter the portal, then as the last three girls entered—with a shout of 'someone please help' faded in it, Empress Eli suggestively winked to Nozomi and leave through the portal as well.

The portal disappeared and the place become quiet for a moment.

"Haaa, what was that before?" Honoka said.

"I don't know-nya!" Rin said.

"I'm pretty sure two people looked so familiar there!" Niko said.

"S-scary, what are those?" Umi said.

"Y-yeah, I've never seen anything like them!" Kotori said.

"Heh, I'm glad they're gone." Maki said.

"At least that's finished." Eli said.

Nozomi still quiet, her face is so red and she looks like she is gone to the dreamland.

"Nozomi, let's go home." Eli said as she grab Nozomi's hand.

Nozomi turned to her, but her eyes show that she is still somewhere else.

"Nozomi…?" Eli called her once again.

"Ericchi!" Nozomi suddenly replied very seriously.

"I want to give you a new request now. I want you to be very seductive and sexy for me, just like her!" She said.

"Huh? Am I not?"

"Certainly not compared to her, I don't mind if you're over doing it, I think I can die happy!"

"W-what? No way, sometime your nose is still bleeding when we're doing it! I don't want your head to explode! We will do it our way, ok?"

"Not that you're not bleeding your nose away when it gets too hot!"

"But at least it's not as common as you! Remember when I moaned on your ear and you just collapse in the middle of touches?"

"That's because it tickles!"

"Doesn't make sense!"

And before the two continued, a wooden sandal thrown at them—which they luckily dodge.

"SHAMELESS!" Umi shouted with her red face.

"U-Umi-chaan!" Honoka and Kotori hanging on her arm—they might be trying to hold her back.

"U-Umi! Calm down! We're not doing anything!" Eli said.

"Talking about intimacy in public! VERY SHAMELESS!" she tried to pick her other wooden sandal.

"Umiii-chan! Calm down!"

Nozomi and Eli quickly ran away as they know that things are going badly. Umi quickly run with Kotori and Honoka still hanging on her. While they are busy with that business, Maki, Niko, and Rin sighed.

"Well, let's go home too." Maki said.

"Yeah, I'm out for tonight. I have lots of work tomorrow." Niko said.

"Yeah-nya! Let's go home, Kayo-chin!"

No response.

"Kayo-chin?" Rin called her again.

Still no response—alas, she isn't even here.

"K-Kayo-chin?!"

* * *

 **BONUS SCENE:**

* * *

The next morning, Nozomi and Eli woke up with a little bruise on their forehead. Last night was going a little too wild as Eli and Nozomi are stupidly trying to explain further about what they were talking about.

Eli headed to the kitchen as soon as she feel like walking off her bedroom while Nozomi still staying on her bed, sitting with her sleepy eyes. Suddenly, an envelope flying to her face. She grabs it and flip it to see the sender name.

 _From: Nozomi Toujou_

 _To: Nozomi Toujou_

And she opened the envelope to see what inside it.

 _Does it feels funny to you that you got a letter from yourself? Because I do feel funny when writing this, knowing that you are me from another universe._

 _I just want to tell you my thanks personally. I've never talked to you directly, but, if it wasn't because of you, I wouldn't feel so happy like this. My Ericchi decided to make a schedule for us all—just like what your Ericchi said to me, hehe. She is such a sweet one, don't you think?_

 _I was jealous that she could be that loose, but perhaps it was because of me who wasn't brave enough to speak up my mind to her. We've been through a lot and I already forget when I lost my ability to be as blunt as you._

 _There are something that I may have to tell you about your Ericchi and herself, though I'm very sure that she got over that now and working out on it. That's why I'm going to let her do it her way and for you to figure out about her true intention._

 _I also hope you to forgive my friends for stealing someone in your group. Rin-chan is so tempted to have two of her best friend. We returned her immediately after figuring out her existence. Honestly though, it would be fun if we can invite you all to our world. I kind of miss the human food and if we happen to want to eat one, we surely will need the reason to do it. Seriously, being an Empress and a Queen is hard. Anything you do is watched and will become a role model for the society._

 _Lastly, I'd like to send you my children from time to time. They said, they wanted to live with you and help out when needed, though they said that they want to do it in human way so… yep. Please take care of them and get along with them even if they're being bad._

 _Note :_

 _Lily is such a tease, but she is actually a caring person. Yuki, he always is a total goof, don't let him go too astray though. Next, Aria, she might be still a kid, but if you try to explain her, she will get it sooner than anyone else. I knew she is a special one for human being, though, it's not that surprising for Ericchi's daughter to question her true place in life. I hope you can help her figure out her true self._

The letter ended there. Nozomi nods and smiled at the letter. Alas, she is happy that there's something that can make her world feel more colorful. Soon after she placed down the letter on the end table, she can hear a bell ringing.

She knows Eli is in the kitchen so she expected her to look at the door. Nozomi can hear some noises outside.

"Papa!" a little girl voice said.

"H-Huh? What are you all doing here?" Eli asked.

"We're going to be living here from time to time now. Don't worry about our room or anything, we will magically make one for ourselves." A female teenager voice said.

"I'll be the family dog!" A male teenager voice said.

"W-what? We can't have a dog in apartment!"

"Booo, then a wolf."

"No way! That is even worse, just be a normal human!"

"Ok, I'm a normal human now!'

"Where's mama?" the little girl asked.

"The… bedroom? Wait, when did we become mama and papa?!"

"Stop denying, papa, we will be pretending that we're the family kids."

Then the door for the bedroom opened. Lily and Aria jumped into the bed while Yuki stood with his ears and wagging tail shown.

"Mama!" Aria said.

"Mama! Let's go out and play! This should be holiday for you, right?!" Lily said.

"Now-now, how did you know when I'm not working?" Nozomi asked.

"Hehe, let's not think of the details, mama! Let's go out—now!" Lily and Aria pulled her.

"W-wait-wait! I'm still in my pajamas!"

"T-there! Don't take her away like that! She is still mine, ok?!"

The blonde protested as she blocked the path.

"You are going too papa! Let's play outside!" Yuki said as he pushed Eli to where the two girls are.

"H-Huh?! But… My cooking!"

* * *

 **THE END**


End file.
